Hidden Legends
by mysterywriter012
Summary: While looking for survivors of a village destroyed by the longcoats, the group is captured by two warriors, who are more than who them seem to be. By befriending and helping them, they become the target of a new deadly enemey, who has one deadly motive.
1. Chapter 1

"Haven't we passed this tree before?" Glitch questioned, tilting his head to the side. "No Glitch, we have not…" Cain replied for the fourth time. "I'm pretty sure we have…" Glitch said, running to catch up with his best friend. "Well, we haven't. Kid, you alright?" Cain called back to DG. "I'm fine, Az is taking her time. Isn't that a surprise…" DG trailed, rolling her eyes.

She was joined by Jeb. "She's coming. Hey dad, are you sure we shouldn't have brought Toto along? He could you know, sneak up as a dog and see what's going on," Jeb spoke up. "He's fine back at the castle. Besides, I don't need _another _person to look after," he said, giving Glitch a look who seemed to be too busy sniffing the nearby flowers to notice.

A familiar groan came from Azkadellia. She trudged through the tall grass. "How much further is it?" she complained. "You know, you didn't have to come…" DG said, turning to her sister. "Please. Anything to get out of the castle. The whole possession thing was about a year ago, and mother still acts all cautious around me," Azkadellia said, standing next to DG.

"Besides," Azkadellia paused to smile. She leaned down to whisper in her sister's ear. "You need some advice from the expert," she said, drawing back with an amused grin. "Expert? For what?" DG asked, raising an eyebrow. Azkadellia's eyes darted over to Jeb and then back at DG. "Heh, no. Cain, are we almost there?" DG asked.

"Don't even start that," Cain said, with an amused smile. "So Cain, how did this village get invaded anyway?" Glitch spoke up, taking a break from his little 'adventure'. "I don't know, Glitch. That's why we came to find out…." Cain said, adjusting his hat. "Think it had something to do with the Long Coats?" Jeb asked.

"Could be," Cain spoke up. He spotted the smoke clouds not to far ahead, and pulled out his gun for safety. "What is it?" Jeb asked, drawing his too. He was still a beginner Tin Man, and was still learning the ropes from his dad. Cain gave him a look to be quiet, and motioned for Jeb to come stand next to him. The two princess's and Glitch stood behind them, cautiously.

Cain pushed the bushes aside to reveal a burnt down village, smoke everywhere. "Okay. I can't see _anything_ in this," Glitch complained. "Glitch," Cain spoke up. "What?" Glitch questioned. "Be quiet…" Cain replied. There was some disturbance in the leaves in the smoke around them. Cain and Jeb stood back to back, their guns swinging around. "What…was…that?" Azkadellia asked, grabbing DG's arm. DG put her hand ontop of her sisters, as they huddled together.

Glitch looked around, confused. "What? Did you hear what?" he asked. Cain turned to look at Glitch. He had not looked at his friend for more than five seconds, before he was yanked back into the smoke. "Glitch!" Cain's heart skipped a beat. He did not dare to fire, fearing he would shoot the poor Zipperhead. Cain's steps were cut short as he tripped and was sent to the ground.

His hat fell off, and his gun fell from his hand. "DG! Jeb! Azkadellia!?" Cain called out. The whimpers of the two princess's and Jeb's gun firing gave him the idea that they were still okay…for the time being. He heard a faint yelp from Glitch, and he went to stand up. He felt something come down in the middle of his back, and he collapsed to the ground again.

"Don't move. Or we will slit his throat," a new voice came out. "Just cooperate with us," a second voice said. Cain felt a bag slid over his head, and assumed the same must have been done to Glitch by his muffled fits. Cain felt himself get yanked up to his feet. "Move it," the first voice spoke up.


	2. Chapter 2

The group had not traveled for more than five minutes, when they were shoved to the ground again.

"Take off your bags, you hand ties are loose enough," the second voice spoke up again. The group reached up cautiously, and took the bags off their heads. Shock came to them immediately. Two girls stood there, each holding a bow and arrow, ready to fire. The one girl had dirty blonde hair, that was wavy, her bangs swept neatly to the side. She had light brown eyes, and a stubborn look on her face. Her body looked athletically built, and she stood a few inches taller than the other one.

The second one had dark wine red hair, and killer blue eyes. Her hair was straight; some bangs covering her forehead, but not hiding the ambitious look in her eyes. She too had an athletic built body. The blonde had her arrow aimed at Cain, the other had hers aimed at Glitch. The blonde narrowed her eyes slightly. "Where are you from?" she asked.

"Don't answer that," Cain spoke up. The blonde raised her one eyebrow. "You're not very bright…" she paused and looked him up and down. "A cop…oh yea, I forgot something…" she stepped closer to Cain and stole his gun from his belt. She resumed her position of holding her bow and arrow at his face. "Now you going to tell me where you are from?" she asked.

Cain just stared up at the girl. "Fine, we'll start with the pretty one…" she said, turning to her bow and arrow towards Azkadellia. Azkadellia's eyes widened. "We're from the northern Island!" Glitch blurted out. The red headed one turned to face him. "The northern island, never head of it…" she said. "It's real! It really is!" Glitch spoke up again, his eyes fearful.

He turned to look at Cain, and got even more nervous. "Typical Long Coat strategy. Make up a imaginary place, and try to save your life…" the red headed said, looking at the blonde one, who continued to burn a hole in Cain's face with her hard stare. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Scary women with weapons! We are NOT Longcoats," Glitch said, his voice finding some strength.

The two girls turned to face him. "Then what are you?" the red headed one asked. "Let's see. We know we have a tin man, clearly. A wannabe little tin man, two pretty girls, and a Zipperhead who can't shut up," the blonde one said, her eyes scanning the prisoners. She lowered her bow, and the red headed followed suit. She sighed. "I guess we shouldn't kill you. If you're not long coats…or Baguns…" she said, looking the second girl.

"Thank you," Azkadellia said with a polite nod. "But," the red headed one spoke up "We aren't going to just let you go. You're coming with us, back to our place of rest,"

"You mean your house?" DG spoke up. The two girls exchanged a look. It seemed as though five different emotions passed through the exchanged look. "Our place of rest…" the blonde spoke up. She turned to face the red-headed. "I'll lead, you trail them. Make sure they all stay with us," she said, shooting a look at DG. DG felt confused for a second, but quickly looked away. The blonde started off up the hill, the group following.

"Did you make that bow all by yourself?" Glitch asked the red head, after about fifteen minutes of walking. "Yes," she said, looking at the ground. "Was it hard?" he asked, getting a side-glance from Cain. "Yes," she said, looking over the trees. "Oh, do you think you could teach-"

"No," she interrupted. "Oh, okay…" Glitch said, seeming crestfallen. Cain looked at the blonde anxiously. "What?" she asked. "Do you think I could have my gun back?" he asked. "Not yet," she replied. "So do you two ladies have names?" Glitch asked. The two girls exchanged looks. "Come on, you have to have names…" Glitch said, ignoring Cain's stares.


	3. Chapter 3

"My name is Rodney…." The red headed one spoke up. "Rodney? That's a cool name!" Glitch spoke up. "Guess it is," Rodney spoke up, looking away. Glitch turned to the blonde. "What's your name?" he asked. The blonde turned to face Rodney, who gave her a empathetic look. She turned to face forward again. "Julia," she replied.

"Julia and Rodney…" Glitch said with a smile. Julia stopped and pushed through some thicket. A small cave entrance came into the clearing. There were a bunch of small footsteps heard, and then a small boy appeared at the opening. He must have been about five years old. He had curly brown hair and green eyes. "Mommy!" he yelled, running down the hill and hugging Julia. "Aiden, what did we tell you about just running out?" Julia asked, her face seeming oddly soft.

"Sorry mom… hi mommy!" he said, hugging Rodney. The group looked at each other confused as Rodney picked Aiden up and kissed his cheek. "Don't think what I think you are thinking. Because its not what you are thinking," Julia said with an agitated look. "I'm sorry but…who is his real mom?" Jeb spoke up for the first time since the encounter.

"We don't know. We rescued him from a burning village. He was the only survivor we could find. So we took him to live with us," Rodney said, smiling at Aiden. She disappeared into the cave with Aiden. Julia stood outside the cave, and ushered the others inside. Cain was the last one in, and he stopped to give Julia a suspicious stare. There was something wrong with this picture.

Julia returned his look, and then Cain stepped into the cave. It actually looked roomy. There was two caves leading to what Cain guessed to be bedrooms and there was a small campfire in the center with a rocking chair and a basket in the room they were sitting in. There were also rugs and child's toys scattered all over. "Aiden, sweetie, next time make sure you put all your toys in the basket, okay?" Rodney asked. "Okay mommy," Aiden said with a small smile.

"Where did you get all of this stuff from?" Jeb asked, turning to Rodney. "From the remains of all the villages we've been to," Rodney answered, sitting on the floor. Julia stood with her back to the stone wall, her arms folded. "Villages?" Cain asked, turning to face Rodney. "Yes," Rodney answered. Rodney looked up at Julia, who gave her a hesitant look. "What?" DG asked.

"So, why don't you tell us why you guys were in the abandoned village?" Julia cut in, still giving Rodney an awkward look. "We were told by the Queen that there was a settlement nearby that was destroyed. We were told to see if there were any survivors. The Queen often traded with…that…village," Cain said, looking around the cave.

"You seem nervous," Rodney said, giving him a questioning look. "We took care of the survivors. Tell your…Queen…" Julia paused to look at Rodney "That the people are safe,"

"Do you know what happened?" Azkadellia asked. "Long Coats and Baguns," Rodney spoke up. "What are Baguns?" Jeb asked. "Baguns are forest dwellers. They feed on the lives of children. Baguns don't bother Long Coats as long as they get the children of whatever village the Long Coats plan on destroying," Julia explained. "The Long Coats aren't children, so why would they negotiate with these Baguns?" DG asked.

"Just because they only feed on the lives of Children does not mean they won't kill anyone else," Julia continued. "Have you ever met the Baguns?" Glitch asked. "Yes, actually. Quite a few times…" Rodney said with a slight nod. A faint buzzing sound was heard as the group watched Aiden make one of his toy planes fly and then crash into one of his bad guy toys.

"So you saved him from the Baguns?" Jeb asked. "Rodney killed it, and I ran with the kid…" Julia said, smiling over at Aiden. "For a second there, I thought he was your child…" Cain said, turning to face the two girls. Julia and Rodney exchanged looks. "No…" Julia said, faintly. She looked up at Cain and reached in her pocket, and then pulled out his gun.

She looked at it for a moment, and then handed it out to him, looking away. He took it and slid it into its holster. "Thanks," he said, feeling confused. "Whatever. Come on Aiden, time for bed…" Julia said, walking over to him. The small boy took her hand as she led him down the one chamber. "Not a very people person is she?" DG asked, looking at Rodney.

"She's just really cautious around strangers that's all…" Rodney said, looking at the ground. "Why?" Azkadellia asked. Rodney gave Azkadellia a look. "It doesn't matter 'why'. Wouldn't you be cautious to find a bunch of strangers just wandering around the ruins of a burnt down village?" Rodney questioned. Azkadellia looked down at the ground. "My point exactly," Rodney said, rolling her eyes.

"What do you think of strangers?" Glitch asked. Rodney set her eyes on him. "I do admit, its nice to have someone new in the old cave. But, I do have to agree with Julia. Finding strangers in a burnt down village is odd…." Rodney said with a sigh. "We already told you why we were in the village," Cain said, staring Rodney down. "Several times if I'm not mistaken. I don't care what you were doing, its just weird that you were there within two hours of the attack…" Rodney said, not looking at Cain.


	4. Chapter 4

Footsteps were heard as the group looked up and saw Julia approach. She looked around the group. "I suppose we should be hospitable. You should stay here the night, it is not wise for you all to be walking around at this hour," Julia said. "Its fine. We've been through worse situations, we should get going…" Cain said, looking at his group.

Julia sighed. "I admire your integrity, but have you ever been in this part of the forest? I think you should trust us on this one," Julia said. "Well, thank you. But I get the feeling we are still _strangers,_" Cain said, shooting Rodney a glare, who returned one. Julia looked at Rodney and sighed. "To be honest with you, I wasn't the one who requested your stay," Julia said, looking at Cain.

"Didn't you just-"

"Aiden asked," Julia cut off Cain. Cain stared at her for a second. "Aiden did?" he asked. "I guess having a few men in the house makes him feel…different. I'm sure you'll be able to relate to him in ways Rodney and myself cannot," Julia said with a small smile. "So are we…on good terms then?" Cain asked, placing his hand on his gun. Julia raised her eyebrows. "For now, but might I suggest you learn to negotiate without your gun? Its kind of annoying," Julia said, in a flat tone.

Cain turned red in slight embarrassment. Julia smiled knowingly. "Rodney and I could lay out a few extra beds for the night. There are three down the chamber if you two ladies and the young man would like to sleep there," Julia said. She turned to Cain and Glitch. "You two could use my bed and Rodney's bed if you'd like. Rodney and I are going to be keeping watch all night anyway, since were going to be watching over the remains of the city. Baguns usually make one last sweep of the area," Julia said, with an unreadable expression. Rodney heaved herself off the floor.

"She is right, go ahead you guys. Our beds are in the same room as Aiden's. Hope you guys don't mind," Rodney said, looking over at Glitch. "No, no, no, no. Aiden seems like a sweet kid," Glitch said with a smile. Rodney returned the smile.

After showing Cain and Glitch to their rooms, Rodney joined Julia standing outside the cave. Julia turned to face her. "They…settled?" she asked. "Yep, I'll tell ya…they are some interesting people," Rodney said, taking her place next to Julia, who was perching on a rock. "Anything down there?" Rodney asked. "I saw one or two Long Coats pass through, no Baguns yet…" Julia said.

"I think they would of come by now if they were going to come at all," Rodney said with a sigh. "Our newcomers are enemies of the Long Coats, they could be trailing their tracks or something like that. Better safe than…sorry…" Julia said, sitting cross-legged and laying her bow on her knees. Rodney was silent for a second, causing her to get a look from Julia.

"What are you not saying?" Julia asked with a questioning look. "We should probably tell them," Rodney finally said. Julia gave her a sharp look. "No," Julia answered simply. "It doesn't feel right not telling them," Rodney spoke up. "We haven't told anyone for eight years. Why would we say something now?" Julia asked. "Well, the only comfort we have had for about five years is Aiden. I mean, they deserve to know…." Rodney replied.

"They are _our _guests. We don't deserve to tell them anything. Right now, we are looking after them," Julia said, shooting a look at Rodney. "You're still upset about it aren't you?" Rodney asked, in a softer voice. Julia looked away. "There was nothing you could have done…what happened…happened…" Rodney said, putting a hand on Julia's shoulder.

Julia looked at the ground again, trying to hold back the tears. "I guess we could tell them at least about us being sisters…" Julia said. Rodney nodded in agreement. Julia turned to face her. "But I swear… If I hear about you telling them anything more…" Julia said, still trying to hold back her tears. "I won't. I promise…" Rodney said with a small smile.

Julia continued to stare into space. "What?" Rodney asked. "Nothing…" Julia said, out of it. "Its not Baguns you are looking for is it? You're thinking about…_them_ again aren't you?" Rodney asked. Julia sighed. "Yes," she said. Rodney nodded, and Julia looked over at her. "Don't you ever think about…." Julia asked. "Not as often as I used to. I'm past my past now. I know this is hard to say, but you need to move on…._he _would want you to," Rodney said, looking over at Julia.

"Don't talk about _him_," Julia said, burying her face in her now drawn up legs. "If you talk about it, you can get over it…" Rodney said. "I don't want to talk about it…" Julia said, her voice slightly shaking. "Julia…" Rodney started. "I said I _don't_ want to talk about it!" Julia said, her voice cracking slightly. "Okay… I'm going to go inside now. Will you be okay?" Rodney asked. Julia didn't respond, and Rodney took that as a 'yes'.

Rodney stood up and brushed off her pants. She took one last look at her sister before disappearing into the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey! Mr. Cowboy! Wake up Mr. Cowboy!" Aiden's voice called out. Cain opened his eyes and saw the young boy standing next to his bedside. "Aiden?" Cain asked, rubbing his eyes. "Mr. Cowboy will you and Mr. Zipper come with me to get some berries for breakfwast?" Aiden asked. Cain sat up and stretched. "Sure thing Aiden…" Cain said. Aiden smiled. "Come on! We have to go now Mr. Cowboy, Mr. Zipper is waiting!" Aiden said, pulling Cain's hand. "Who's Mr. Zipper?" Cain asked.

"That would be me…" Glitch's voice came out. "Oh…right…I knew that…" Cain said, with a small smile. He stood up and placed his hat on his head. He lifted himself off of the bed and walked over to Aiden and Glitch. "Come on, we have to hurry…" Aiden said, grabbing Cain's one hand and Glitch's other hand. Cain looked over at Glitch, who was smiling happily.

Aiden pulled Cain and Glitch to the outside of the cave and he let go of their hands. "Mommy and Mommy must be out huntwing. Wet's go get swome berries for breakfast," Aiden said, with a bright smile on her face. Glitch smiled excitedly. "Okay, lead the way Aiden…" Glitch said, looking over at Cain. Cain smiled slightly as Aiden ran off down the hill.

In a way, Aiden reminded Cain of Jeb when Jeb was young. He smiled at the times he had taught Jeb how to skip rocks, or how to plant seeds to the garden vegetables, and how to make a slingshot. Cain smiled at the memories. "Mr. Cowboy! Over here!" Aiden's voice called out. Cain looked up and saw Aiden waving at him. He trudged through the grass and stood next to Glitch.

"You ready to pick some berries, Cain? This is going to be fun isn't it?" Glitch asked. Cain gave Glitch a look. "So much fun…" he said. Cain bent down and began picking berries, but his thoughts were elsewhere….

Rodney hid behind the one bush as Julia worked her way up to the edge of the small cliff. Rodney saw Julia's blonde hair getting closer to the edge. The moose was still unaware of the two hunters stalking it. Rodney slowly sat up and drew her bow, ready to shoot. Julia stood above, ready for the kill in case Rodney missed, which wasn't often.

Rodney drew back the bow. "Mommy!" a voice called out. Rodney's head turned to see Aiden running towards her. The moose got startled and tried to take off. Rodney's head snapped back in the direction of the moose, to see it darting up the hill. Julia squinted and shot the arrow, shooting the moose in the hide. The moose collapsed to the ground, and began calling out in pain.

Rodney ran from behind the bush, shooting it for the kill. Rodney sighed and looked up at Julia, who was coming down from the small cliff. "Mommy! That was awesome!" Aiden said, wrapping his arms around Rodney's legs. Rodney looked down at the small boy. She couldn't help but smile at him smiling up at her. "Thank you, Aiden. What are you doing out here?" she asked. "I was picking berries with Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper and I got _these_ for you," he said, holding up a few white daises.

Rodney smiled, and kneeled down infront of Aiden, setting her bow on the ground. "Thank you, Aiden. Where are…your helpers?" Rodney asked, hugging the small boy. "There coming, Mr. Cowboy! Mr. Zipper!" Aiden called. Rodney saw Cain and Glitch a few feet away. "Here we are Aiden, lovely shot Rodney. How did you ever learn to shoot like that?" Glitch asked.

"Practice," Rodney said, standing up. She smiled at Glitch. "Mr. Zipper, I presume?" she asked with a small smile. Glitch nodded. "That would be me," he said. Rodney looked around. Where was Julia? As if she heard her thoughts, Julia emerged from behind a bush, making Glitch jump. Julia smiled slightly. "Sorry. Hello Aiden," Julia said, kneeling and hugging him. "Mommy, I got something for you too…" he looked around and ran over to Cain, swiping the purple flowers from his hand. He ran them back over to Julia who smiled. "Thank you, Aiden…" she said.

She stood up, but continued to look at him. "What were you doing this morning?" Julia asked. "Me, Mr. Zipper, and Mr. Cowboy went picking berries, to help make breakfast…" Aiden smiled up at her. Julia looked at Cain with an amused smile. "Mr. Cowboy?" she asked. Cain shrugged. "I've been called much worse," he said.

"Huh…okay…" Julia said, looking over at Rodney. Aiden turned to Rodney. "Did you get the eggs?" he asked. "We did Aiden. We just need to get the moose back to the cave for dinner," Rodney said. "We'll take care of it," Glitch spoke up. He looked over at Cain. "Yea, we'll carry it back for you…" Cain agreed. "Okay," Rodney and Julia both said.

The group walked back to the cave, and Cain and Glitch laid the moose outside the cave. DG, Jeb, and Azkadellia were sitting on the floor, talking. "Hello," DG said with a smile. Julia merely walked past DG, but Rodney returned the smile. Julia didn't know why, but for some reason DG seemed to be on her last nerve.

It was probably because she always wore questioning looks on her face. Julia _hated _people who asked too many questions.

"How was your morning?" Azkadellia asked. "Fine," Rodney snapped. Azkadellia turned to look at Rodney, confused. Rodney had heard stories of Azkadellia, and how she had become possessed by an evil witch. Rodney still did not trust Azkadellia, even though the possession was a year ago. Rodney never knew who she could trust these days.


	6. Chapter 6

Cain and Glitch entered the cave, having left the moose outside. Rodney and Julia told the group they still had more eggs to fetch, and left the cave. DG crossed her legs as Glitch sat next to her. Her, Azkadellia, Jeb, Glitch, Cain and Aiden formed a circle in the middle of the floor. But Aiden seemed more interested in his toys to even get in the conversation.

"I think Julia has a problem with me," DG spoke up. Azkadellia looked at her. "Julia is cool. Its Rodney who is mean," she said. "Julia's nice to you…" DG said, turning to look at her. "And Rodney is nice to you," Azkadellia stated. Cain sighed. He didn't need anymore drama then what they already had going on. Finding an burnt down village, getting beat up… by _girls_, being forced to spend the night in the cave, and now sitting in a circle listening to DG and Azkadellia's worries about who liked them and who hated them.

Jeb leaned forward. "We could cut and run," he said. Cain turned to face his son. "We could," he said. Jeb smiled triumphantly. "But were not," Cain finished and Jeb's smiled faded. "Yea, I like it here. These girls may be… odd…but they seem like nice people at heart," Glitch said. "Mommy and Mommy are nice people. They the coolest ever. I wish I had a brother or sister…" Aiden piped up, setting his toy airplane to the floor.

"You wish you had a brother or sister?" DG asked in a childlike voice. Aiden smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh. Just like Mommy Julia and Mommy Rodney are sisters," Aiden said smiling at DG. Glitch looked over at Cain. "They're sisters?" he asked. "Why wouldn't they tell us that?" Cain asked. "Guys, they didn't tell us they were just friends. We assumed they were," Azkadellia said, with a bored tone.

"That is true, but it was something they could have mentioned…" Jeb said, watching Aiden pick up his toy airplane again. There was a sound outside the cave, like that of footsteps. "Mommy and Mommy must be back! Let's go say hi to them," Aiden said, standing up. "Mr. Zipper, will you come with?" he asked. "Sure thing Aiden," Glitch said, standing up and taking the boy's hand.

They stepped to the mouth of the cave to see two hooded figures, with their backs to the cave, in the remains of the village. It looked like they were looking for something…or someone. "Hi! Do you need help?" Glitch called to them. The figures turned around and Glitch's eyes widened in horror as he realized the two figures were not humans at all.

Their faces were a pale blue color, as if they had drowned. They had wide black eyes and slits instead of a nose. They had a thin red line for lips, and when they opened there were rows of sharp triangular teeth. They raised up their hands slightly and Glitch saw that one hand looked normal. The other hand was three sharp spikes, each glowing on the end.

The creatures began walking towards the cave. Aiden started whimpering. "They're going to get me…." he whimpered. "MOMMY!!!!!!!" Aiden screamed. The creatures hissed as the rest of the group came to the front of the cave. "MOMMY!!!!!!!" Aiden cried out again. Azkadellia pulled the small boy close to her as the creature continued to come closer.

One of them tilted its head and Glitch assumed by the tone of its voice that the creature was female. "We do not wish to harm you older ones. Hand us the child, and we will leave you. Fail to do so, and the consequences will result in your death," she hissed. Cain drew his gun and pointed it at the female who hissed even more. "Fool! Your guns cannot kill us," she hissed again.

"This will," a voice called out. An arrow fired and struck the female in the neck and she collapsed. The male charged towards Aiden, but collapsed when an arrow hit him in the neck. The group looked over to see Julia and Rodney running towards them, emerging from a bush. "We have to get out of here, now! The other Baguns will note their disappearances!" Rodney yelled.

Rodney picked up Aiden in her arms and the group sprinted through the woods. A faint screeching sound could be heard in the distance. "The others know!" Julia yelled. She stopped and a small pile of wood, and pushed it aside, revealing a hole. "Everyone get in, now. Hurry up!" Julia called out. One by one, the group hurried into the entrance, Julia climbing in last. She pulled the wood overtop the hole just in time. They were in an underground cavern. A bunch of footsteps could be heard, thundering as they ran past the hidden entrance.

Some dirt fell from the ceiling. Five minutes after the footsteps vanished, Glitch spoke. "Wow, now _that _was scary. Hey Julia, will this place hold up?" he asked. Julia grabbed Glitch by his collar and lifted him against the wall, slamming him into it. "What the _hell_ were you thinking?! You were supposed to stay in the cave _like we told you to_!! You could have gotten Aiden killed! Don't you think before you speak?" Julia yelled, her face getting red.

"I didn't know they were bad!" Glitch protested. "I don't care! They were strangers in a village! You don't just call out to random strangers! I swear if those Baguns took Aiden, you would not be alive! I can swear to that! I am not loosing another child!" Julia yelled, and then looked shocked at what she just said. She lightly let Glitch go, and then looked at the floor.

Rodney looked over at her, taking a break from hugging Aiden to try to calm him down and whispering into his ear that it would be okay. Julia turned and then disappeared up the hatch, shutting it shortly after.


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone turned to look at Rodney, trying to ignore Glitch's deep gasps. Cain looked over at Rodney. "First you don't tell us about your being sisters. Now Julia mentions another child. What else are you not telling us?" Cain asked, his voice getting stern.

Rodney let go of Aiden, who curled up into a ball on the floor and tried to dream. "I don't know if it's my right to tell," she said. "Believe me, it is now…" Jeb spoke up. Rodney looked around and then sighed, crossing her legs. "You are right. Julia and I are sisters. We, just like some of you have a terrible past. Ours was probably the worst to date," Rodney stated, looking around the room.

"We are heirs to the Ligark throne…." Rodney finally said. DG and Azkadellia gasped. "The Forgotten City?" Azkadellia asked. Rodney closed her eyes and sighed. "Yes," she said. Azkadellia rolled her eyes at Rodney's annoyance. "We were there the day it was…Forgotten. Julia was seventeen, and I was sixteen. A herd of Baguns and Long Coats raided our castle. The Baguns took the lives of hundreds of children all we could hear were their cries. Julia and I wanted to fight, but our mother and father…the king and queen…refused our help. They sent us away to the cave where we stayed. We were set to be 'Guardians of the OZ', as mother put it," Rodney paused because she could already feel the tears welling up. _Mother…Father…_

She looked over at Glitch. "Before we were sent away… Julia managed to get herself in a fight with one of the longcoats. He was second in command. His name was…Zero. That's when… that's when Neal came in. He tried to help Julia. Zero got away, and Neal was weakened. There was nothing Julia could do to help him. He died in her arms," Rodney said, trying to read everyone's face.

"Who was Neal?" DG asked. "Julia's fiancé, and the father of her child…" Rodney said. "Julia had a fiancé before?" Cain asked. Rodney nodded. "She did. After Neal died, Julia ran around in panic trying to find her daughter Olivia. Julia ran in the room and saw a Bagun standing over Olivia's figure. Julia killed the Bagun, and ran with Olivia, trying to get her to safety. She was shot at in the leg, and she fell down. A group of Long Coats held her back as she watched a Bagun take the life of her child," Rodney turned to look at Glitch.

"That's why she snapped at you," she said. Glitch looked around, ashamed. Rodney continued. "I wasn't near Julia at the time. I was spending the last few moments with my… well…we were pretty serious about our relationship. That day, he asked me to marry him….I…I accepted his proposal. We ran through the halls, trying to find someone…anyone who was still alive. We did find people, but not ours. The Long Coats and Baguns surrounded us. Guns were pointed at me, and the next thing I knew was… I woke up in my mother's chamber. She was there and told me that Hugh had sacrificed himself for me. The Long Coats wanted him, so he pretended to kill me, so the Long Coats wouldn't. He hit the back of my head hard enough to make me unconscious, but not hard enough to kill me. He ….he wanted me to live…" Tears started coming down Rodney's face.

The group stared at her, trying not to cry themselves. "The Long Coats beat him to death, and then took his body away and threw it to the sea… to think about what happened to the body…." Rodney paused to wipe away a tear. "So Mother and Father sent Julia and I off. Telling us not to come back until we knew we had to be back and wanted to be back. So for eight years we've lived on our own. We found Aiden in one of the villages. All Julia and I can think about now, is saving people from suffering what we did. We send the people we rescue to the Abrah Kingdom. They were our biggest allies. We never tell the people whom we rescue our names, so the people of that kingdom don't know we exist," Rodney finished and turned to face Cain.

"That's the whole story," she said. She stood up and disappeared up the same hatch Julia disappeared up, shutting it after she went through. The group all looked at each other. The silence was broken by Aiden's faint snore. "What do we do now?" Jeb asked, his eyes scanning the room. "Wait until they come back?" Glitch stated, although it was more of a question.

"Yes," Cain answered. He sat down with his back against the one wall. He realized he had more in common with the two strange girls than he thought. They had all lost someone they cared about. And Julia…Julia lost her child. He looked over at Jeb who was laughing with DG and Azkadellia at some joke DG made. Cain smiled slightly. He was so glad to have Jeb with him.

A rumble was heard and the group looked up to see Julia sticking her head in the hole. "Come on, I don't know about the five of you but I'm not staying in here overnight. We'll head towards your castle, then we will part ways. Now hurry up," Julia said, her face disappearing. Cain noted that her eyes were red, she too had been crying. When the group of them climbed out of the hole, Glitch carrying a sleeping Aiden, they moved on.

Glitch walked next to Rodney. "I'm really sorry about what happened to you…and Julia…" he said. "Hey, its fine. I needed to tell someone about it anyway, we've held it in for too long anyway…" she said, looking over at him. Glitch smiled slightly. "I'll take him…" Rodney said, taking Aiden from Glitch's arms. Aiden stirred and then woke up.

"Mommy?" he asked. "I'm here…" Rodney said. "I want to walk now…" he said. "Okay Aiden," Rodney said, setting him down. Aiden began skipping slightly. "Aiden's really a sweet kid," Glitch said. "Yea, he really is…" Rodney said. "Hey…" Glitch said, putting a hand on Rodney's shoulder. Rodney turned to look at him. "Let me know if you want to talk…" he said.

Rodney smiled. Glitch was such a child at heart. "Okay, thank you Glitch…" Rodney smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Julia and Cain walked next to each other in awkward silence. Cain was trying to figure out what to say. "Uh…um…look, Julia… I'm really sorry…" Cain finally said. Julia continued to look at the ground. Cain was trying to figure out what to say next, then Julia spoke up. "I've heard about you. Wyatt Cain, Tin Man. I knew who you were as soon as I saw you. I know you've suffered too. Trapped in a suit for eight years, watched your wife and son get beat. I'm sorry too…" Julia said.

Cain looked over at her. "Why won't you look at me?" he asked. Julia looked over at him. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Never mind. So, how did you survive on your own for eight years?" he asked. "I could ask you the same thing. Rodney and I had access to anything, but you…" she paused and her amber brown eyes looked into his icy blue ones.

"We have more in common than you think, Julia…" Wyatt said with a smile. Julia looked ahead and smiled too. "I know…" she replied.

Night fell quickly and the group settled in another cave which Rodney and Julia searched thoroughly. Julia, Rodney, Glitch and Cain all sat around a small campfire while the rest slept inside the cave. There was an awkward silence in the air. "So… where did you guys learn your fighting and weaponry skills?" Glitch asked. Rodney looked over at him. "We have been trained to fight since we were seven," she said.

Cain laid down on his side, and looked over at Julia. "You alright? You haven't said much this whole little trip…" he said, concern filling his eyes. He couldn't help it. He hated to see anyone upset, especially if it was a female. She looked up at him. "I'll be fine," she said with a small reassuring smile. "Doesn't sound like it," Cain spoke up again.

Julia rolled her eyes. "You Tin Men never stop asking questions until you get your answers do you?" she asked with a small smile. Cain shook his head. "Nope, I keep asking until I get answered," he said, sitting up to adjust the fire. He looked over at her again, but she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was looking into the flames in thought.

Rodney looked over at Glitch. "So, why do they call you Glitch?" she asked. Glitch looked at Cain for a second, and then back at Rodney. "Well, ever since my marbles have been missing… I sometimes repeat myself and such things," he said. "Why don't you get your brain back?" Rodney asked. Glitch sighed. "Because the other half of my brain was under the witch's guard for so long. Connecting it back to my real brain could change me…not in the good way. So until the alchemists fix it to perfection…I am stuck with just half a brain…" he said, sounding defeated.

"It takes a year for that?" Julia asked. "It's a person's brain, not a toy…" Rodney spoke up. Julia looked over at Rodney, slightly annoyed. There was a yawn heard and she looked up to see Aiden coming out of the cave. "Aiden, what are you still doing up?" she asked with a small smile. "I had a nightmare…" he said, sitting in between Julia and Rodney.

"A nightmare?" Rodney asked, running her hand over the small boy's head. "Yea, a big scarwy monster was chasin' me. Then Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper saved me," Aiden said, looking first at Glitch then at Cain. "Thank you Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper," Aiden said with a sleepy smile. Julia looked over at Cain. "Your welcome, Aiden…" Cain said, but looking at Julia.

"Anytime Aiden…" Glitch said with a happy smile. Aiden laid his head down on Rodney's lap and tried to get some sleep. Rodney looked over at Cain and Glitch. "You don't care if he calls you 'Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper'?" she asked. They both shook their heads. "Not at all," Glitch said. "Why don't you two get some rest? We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow," Julia said, looking at the ground.

"We're in no rush. In fact, I think the princess's would like to get out of the castle for a few more days," Cain stated. Rodney and Julia looked at each other and then back at them. "Wouldn't your Queen be worried?" Julia asked. They both shook their heads again. Rodney smiled and then looked at Glitch. "In that case, why don't you show me some of this…rhythm…you were telling me about tomorrow," she said.

Glitch nodded. "Sure, but will you be able to keep up?" he asked with a small smile. Rodney tilted her head. "Will I?" she teased. They both chuckled slightly. Julia looked at Cain. "What would you do if you were faced with a Long Coat, and you were in the wild?" she asked. Cain looked down at his gun. "You don't have one," she spoke up.

"I guess….either take cover or fight…" Cain said. "We're gonna stay with fight," Julia replied. "I'm sorry, but Cain…Cain just can't fight…" Glitch said, earning a look from Cain. "What? You can't," Glitch said in response to Cain's look. Cain closed his eyes in embarrassment. He loved Glitch like a brother, but sometimes he would bring things out about Cain that Cain didn't need brought up.

He opened his eyes to see Julia and Rodney looking at him, confused. "Well, I'm going to teach you something new…." Julia said, standing up. "Which would be?" he asked, looking up at her. "You'll see…" she said. Rodney stood up with her, a sleeping Aiden in her arms. "Good night….Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper," Julia said with an amused smirk.

Rodney couldn't help but smile too, and they carried Aiden towards the back of the cave. When they disappeared, Cain turned to look at Glitch, shoving his shoulder slightly. "What?" Glitch piped up in protest. "Why did you tell them that?" he asked. "I don't know, it'll give you and Julia a chance to…talk," Glitch said with a smile.

"Okay, no. I just met her, and she isn't that friendly…" Cain trailed. "Didn't you say the two of you had more in common than you thought?" Glitch questioned. Cain was silent for a minute. "So you're going to show you her…rhythm? Getting some time to 'talk' to her?" Cain asked. Glitch shrugged. "I think the more we talk to them, gain their trust, the friendlier they will be…" Glitch said.

"That's true, goodnight… Mr. Zipper," Cain said, covering his face with his hat so Glitch couldn't see his smile. Glitch rolled his eyes. "Goodnight to you Mr. Cowboy," Glitch said. Cain chuckled slightly.


	9. Chapter 9

"Impressive," Rodney said to Glitch, when he demonstrated a hurricane kick for her. He bowed slightly. "Thank you, thank you…" he said. Rodney raised an eyebrow. "How'd you sleep last night?" she asked. "Could have been better. Cain was snoring and I was on a floor….but otherwise good. No nightmares," Glitch said.

"I can understand how that feels. I felt the same way for the first few months," Rodney stated empathetically. Glitch looked over at her. "So, where is Aiden this morning?" he asked. "With DG, Azkadellia and Jeb. Why?" Rodney asked. "He's a cute kid," Glitch said, sitting on a rock. "Yeah he is. Hey. What are you doing sitting down? We aren't done here yet," she said with a small smirk.

Glitch sighed. "I'm tired. I'm a thinker…not a…fighter…" he trailed when he saw Rodney's amused face. "Let me show you some of my….rhythm…" she said, extending her hand to help him up.

"Hold it steady. Geez," Julia said, placing her hand ontop of Cain's shaking one. He stopped. "There, now aim the bow for the tree trunk…" she said, stepping away. "Aren't _I _supposed to be teaching _you _how to use a weapon?" Cain asked. "Yea, but you're weapon challenged. Now, will you shoot the arrow already?" Julia asked.

Cain gave her a side look before shooting the arrow. It narrowly missed the pinecone which they had hanging by a string from Glitch's suit, hanging against the trunk. He turned and gave her a look like he saved the world. "Yea…ya missed," Julia said with a fake smile. Cain's face fell and he closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, let's see you hit it…" Cain said. Julia stole her bow back from Cain and drew an arrow.

"Sure, better take a picture of this Cain because its going to be good…" she said. She shot the arrow and it struck the pinecone. She turned to face Cain mocking his face from earlier. Cain tried not to smile. "You've been at this longer," he said. Julia set her bow down and drew her small dagger. "Time for something new…" she said.

Glitch landed on his back and Rodney continued to move in place on the balls of her feet. "Come on, Glitch…" she said. Glitch groaned and struggled to stand up. "That hurt," he said. "Yea, it probably did…" Rodney nodded in agreement. Glitch gave her a look. "Thanks for the support," Glitch said. Rodney shrugged. "Its my job…" she stated simply.

Glitch finally stood up and turned to face her. Rodney positioned herself. "I've gone easy on you, because I don't normally hit girls…..but now I'll go all out rhythm…" Glitch stated, circling Rodney with a smile. "Ooo. I'm scared now," Rodney said, mocking worry. Glitch faked a jab, and then did a reverse cresant-kick, knocking Rodney's stray punch out of the way.

He grabbed her extended arm, and hip-threw her onto the ground. She looked up at him. "Nice one…" she said, trying to hide her pain and how impressed she was. Glitch offered her a hand up and she took it gratefully. "Shall we call it and go see Aiden?" Glitch asked. Rodney smiled. "You really like him, don't you?" she asked.

"I love kids. They're so fun and friendly, and they don't judge anyone by appearances…" Glitch said, looking away. "People who judge other people based on appearance is dumb. Although, I admit I have done it at times," Rodney stated. "Yea, well Aiden is the first young child in awhile that hasn't looked at me and gotten scared because I have a zipper on my head," Glitch said, reaching up and touching it.

"I don't even notice it," Rodney spoke up. "Really?" Glitch questioned. "Yep. Honestly that wasn't the first thing I noticed about you…." Rodney trailed. "Well, what did you notice?" Glitch asked with a smile. Rodney studied his face. "You remind me of someone I used to know. You got along with Aiden right off the bat, and your eyes always light up when you get excited," Rodney said.

"Wow. Thanks," Glitch said smiling slightly. Rodney nodded. "Let's go find Aiden," she said.


	10. Chapter 10

Cain moaned as he rubbed his shoulder. Julia gave him a look. "Are you serious, Cain? I didn't even hit you that hard…" she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, next time your going to congratulate me for doing something good, use your words not your hands…" Cain grimaced. "I gave you a slap on the shoulder for 'good job' its not like I was trying to hurt you," Julia said.

"Apparently you're not aware of your own strength…" Cain muttered. "Okay, stop…sit!" she said, standing infront of him and pushing him down on the rock. She began to massage his shoulders. "Ow. Ow," Cain grunted. Julia stopped. "Do you want me to help you or not?" Julia asked. "No, it felt…good…" Cain spoke up. "Then stop complaining! God, your worse than Aiden when we comb his hair…" Julia trailed.

Cain sighed. "Sorry….Mmmm. Where did you learn to give massages at?" he asked. "My cousin used to work for therapy…taught me a lot," Julia said. "Did she…" Cain trailed. "Yes. She's dead too," Julia responded. She stopped massaging his arm. Cain turned around to look at her. "You know my back has really been bothering me," he said with a smile. He loved to agitate people.

Julia shrugged. "That sucks," she said, starting to walk away. Cain raised an eyebrow. Maybe this would be harder than he thought.

Julia and Cain spotted Rodney and Glitch not too far ahead. Glitch waved over to them. "Julia! Cain!" he called out. They both waved back, faking smiles. "He's scaring me…" Julia said through her fake smile. "Me too…" Cain said through his. Glitch walked over to them, Rodney trailing behind. "Were going to go see Aiden, you want to come?" Glitch asked.

"Sure," Julia said with a nod. "Glitch, Julia and I will catch up with you and Cain. I need to talk to her about something," Rodney said. "Okay, come on Cain…" Glitch said, waving Cain to follow. Cain sighed and then followed Glitch back towards the cave.

Rodney turned to face Julia. "What's up?" Julia asked. "You know, when we head towards their kingdom…we'll be passing…Ligark…" Rodney said. Julia looked away. "I know…" she said. "I was thinking…what if they stumbled upon us for a reason?" Rodney asked. Julia turned to face her. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I mean what if they're stumbling upon us is a sign that we are ready to go back?" Rodney asked.

"Rodney, there is no kingdom to go back to…" Julia said. "I know, but we should just swing by and see…" Rodney said with a hopeful look. "If you want to stop by, go ahead…."Julia said. "Stop that. Neal wouldn't want you to be running away. Besides, Cain and you seem friendly…" Rodney said, a smile spreading across her face. "I've known him for almost three days, no…." Julia said, rolling her eyes.

"I think Glitch is really nice…" Rodney added. "Good for Glitch," Julia retorted. Rodney sighed. "You're getting into a bad mood. Which means, something is bugging ya…" Rodney said. "Let's go find them…" Julia said, walking past Rodney. "Ah, why the change in subject?" Rodney asked, chasing after her sister.

"Mr. Cowboy! Mr. Zipper!" Aiden cried up. He stood up from playing with DG, Az, and Jeb and hugged the Tin Man around his legs. "Mr. Cowboy, I missed you!" Aiden said, smiling up at Cain. He hugged Glitch next. "I missed you too, Mr. Zipper!" he said. Glitch knelt down infront of Aiden. "What are ya doing, Aiden?" he asked.

Aiden smiled. "Can I play with you and Mr. Cowboy? Mommy and Mommy can play too…" Aiden said, as soon as he saw Rodney and Julia coming up in the cave entrance. He looked around. "We all can play!" he said. He ran over to Azkadellia and grabbed her hand. "Azzie can be the princess, and Dgwee can be my sistwer, Jweb can be my bwest friend," Aiden said.

He ran back over to where Julia, Rodney, Cain and Glitch were standing. "Mr. Zipper can be a knight and Mr. Cowboy can be a knight too. Now….Momma Rodney can be the dragon and Mommy Julia can be the evil wizard," Aiden said, getting excited. "Who are you Aiden?" DG asked. He smiled and turned to Azkadellia.

"I'm her prince, coming to rescue her from the dragon…" he said. "Aww, thank you Aiden…" Azkadellia said. "Alright, lets go outside and play!" Aiden said…….


	11. Chapter 11

"Alright Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper! Now lets go after the dragon and the wizard!" Aiden said. He rode his imaginary horse over to where Julia and Rodney stood. Rodney stretched her arms out. "You'll never save the princess!" she growled. Azkadellia pretended to whimper in fright. Aiden pointed at Julia. "There's the evil wizard! Quick, Mr. Cowboy! You get the wizard, and Mr. Zipper and I will get the dragon and the princess!" Aiden cried out.

Cain stood there for a second confused. Julia jumped up and did a 360 and then landed on her feet again, ready to fight. "Is thou' going to attack? Or shall thy come in for the kill?" Julia asked, in a mid-evil voice. Cain tilted his head and then sighed. He started walking closer towards Julia. "I suppose I should kill you…" he said.

Julia narrowed her eyes. "Kill the wizard Mr. Cowboy! Tackle her, like this!" Aiden said. He ran into Julia's leg, and she pretended to wobble. "Oh, he's so strong! What should I do?" she said, melodramatically. "Quick, Mr. Cowboy! Help me!" Aiden said, with a smile. Cain walked towards Julia, and wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Now what, Aiden?" Cain asked, feeling awkward. "Let's tackle her!" he said. Both Cain and Aiden pushed their weight on Julia, and Julia collapsed onto the ground. Aiden stood up. "Hold her down Mr. Cowboy! While I stab her!" Aiden said, twirling around his imaginary sword. "Okay," Cain said, still holding Julia around her middle on the ground.

Her back was to him so he couldn't see what her face looked like. Probably annoyed, ticked, or awkward. Aiden pretended to stab Julia. "My life has ended, goodbye magical world!" Julia said, pretending to die. Cain laid there for a second, and Aiden ran towards Rodney. Julia slowly turned to face him. "You're still…holding me…" she said.

"Oh, right…." Cain said, letting her go and standing up. He held out his hand to help her up. She shook her head. "I'm _dead _remember?" she asked. Cain nodded. "Of course. How could I forget?" he said. Aiden ran over to Rodney. "Mr. Zipper! I need you to cut off the dragon's head so I can save the princess!" Aiden said. "Right away, Sir Aiden!" Glitch said, saluting him.

Glitch walked over towards Rodney, who raised an eyebrow. She spread her arms out and her legs out. "You have to get through me to get to the princess!" she said. "Get the dragon!" Glitch exclaimed. He tackled Rodney to the ground and than pretended to cut of her head. "Take that dragon! You okay, Rodney?" Glitch asked, changing subject.

"I can't talk I have no head, remember?" Rodney said with a smile. Glitch nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Right, okay. Aiden, does thee have the princess?" Glitch asked. "Yes, Princess will you marry me?" Aiden asked. Azkadellia pretended to be in shock. "The prince wants to marry _me_? Oh!" she said, pretending to faint. DG and Jeb caught her.

Julia and Rodney stood up, and brushed themselves off. "What an interesting game…" Cain said. "I'm sure you're used to it by now, Cain. After all, you did raise a boy…" Julia said, nodding towards Jeb, who was talking to DG and Azkadellia. "Not like this," Cain said, shaking his head. Rodney sighed. "To get to your kingdom, we must pass through Central City am I correct?" she asked. "Yes," Glitch answered.

"We should cover some ground today. We still have half a day of sunlight," Rodney said. The group gathered what little supplies they had, and began to move towards Central City. Julia seemed somewhat tense. "What's wrong, Julia?" Azkadellia asked. "It's been many annuls since we went through central city…." She said, looking ahead.

"There are a lot of friendly people there! It's an interesting town really, everything has gone back to normal for the most part. There are still some longcoats hiding there though," DG added. Julia turned to look at her. "What do you mean by longcoats?" she asked. Rodney looked up. "I think she means _who_," she said, still looking at Julia.

"I don't know… some of them from back in the day. I'm not sure which ones," Azkadellia said, feeling confused. Julia bit her lip either in anger or worry. "What about…_Zero_?" Julia asked, her voice changing to anger. Rodney looked away and then back at Julia. "If he's there, we won't go near him. He won't recognize you anyway. You've changed a lot in eight years," Rodney said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Julia shrugged the hand off. "So, what is your kingdom like?" she asked. "Beautiful," DG said. "Thanks, care to say more?" Julia said, rolling her eyes. "Its on the Northern Island. It used to be frozen, but now its back to its beautiful state. Flowers, birds, trees…." Azkadellia closed her eyes as if to envision it.

Cain and Glitch walked ahead of the group, Aiden walking in between them. "That was so much fun! We should play again Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper. We have to! We just have to!" Aiden said, getting excited. "Sure we will, Aiden. Right….Mr. Cowboy?" Glitch asked, showing Cain a grin. Cain rolled his eyes. "Sure. You have my word," Cain agreed.

"Awesome!" Aiden said, jumping up and down. There was a snap of twigs and Cain pushed Glitch and Aiden behind a bush. Julia and Rodney must of heard it too, because they drew their bows, arrows drawn. They ushered the rest of the group behind the bush as well. Cain stood up, his gun drawn. Glitch looked around for a weapon. Rodney reached into her pocket, pulled out her dagger and handed it to Glitch, all while keeping her eyes scanning the woods.

Jeb drew his gun and was moving around. "Take it easy, son." Cain said, his voice worried. DG and Azkadellia held Aiden close. More rustling came and the whole group pointed their weapons towards the one spot. Rodney leaned towards Julia. "We can't just fire at will. What if it is a child? Not a longcoat or a Bagun?" Rodney asked.

"I never said fire at will," Julia replied. Rodney looked up. "Who is there? If you are an enemy, be warned. We have weapons…" Rodney spoke out. The rustling stopped. "Probably just an animal," Cain spoke up. There was rustling all around them and the group realized they were surrounded. Rodney looked around, and she saw about fifteen Baguns had them surrounded. The group stood with their backs to each other, their weapons pointed at different Baguns.

One of them stepped forward. He was a male. Instead of having black robes like the rest, his were red. He was their leader. "We received word from a ally tribe that humans were walking our way, but you are late…" he said. The group stood there, anxious. The leader looked down at Aiden. Glitch stepped infront of him. "Leave him alone," Glitch said.

The Bagun laughed. "We have you surrounded. You have no choice but to hand him over…" he said. "Like hell we will. Surrounded or not," Rodney spoke up. The Bagun tilted his head. "You're voice patterns sound familiar…" he said. "We try not to get friendly with…thing…we intend on killing," Julia spoke up. The Bagun grinned. "I thought it was all lies, but now I recognize you two. You're supposed to be dead," he said.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Rodney retorted. The Bagun looked at her. "You're Princess…Rodney. Yes, yes I remember you. I guess you're little….lover…. didn't kill you after all. Want to know what we did with his body?" he asked. Rodney's hands began to shake, causing her bow to move around. Julia looked over to see tears forming in her sister's eyes.

"Alright, that's enough…" Julia said. The Bagun turned to face her. He grinned even more. "Ah, my favorite. Princess Julia. You don't remember me? Are you sure?" he asked. "No," Julia stated simply. "My dear. Surely you'd recognize the Bagun who took the life of your child right infront of your eyes," he said. The group shifted their eyes to Julia, who squared her jaw, tears faintly appearing in her eyes.

The Bagun dared to step closer, but Julia raised her bow. "Don't you even think about it," she growled. The Bagun faked worry. "She was probably one of the tastiest lives I've taken. And you…" he said, turning to Rodney. "You're lover probably made a good meal for the creatures of the sea. They probably tore him right up," he said.

He rounded on Julia again. "The best sound in the world. You're daughter…little Olivia….screaming into my ear like a….." he was cut off by Cain firing shots at him. The leader fell to the ground slightly, on his knees. He laughed, and continued laughing until he was dead. The other Baguns shifted in worry. Then, they all took off as quickly as they came.

Julia and Rodney walked up to the body, and kicked it to make sure it was dead. They looked up at each other. "He's dead…and the rest are gone…" Rodney said. "Yea…" Julia agreed. The rest of the group stood there, unsure of what to do. They slowly moved forward, and Cain stepped infront of Julia, placing his hands on either one of her shoulders.

"Hey…." He said. Julia looked at the ground. "Look at me…" Cain said. Julia looked up, tears straining not to spill. "It's all over, okay?" he asked, concern and care in his eyes. Julia stepped out of his reach. "Yea, it is…" she said, stepping around him. Glitch went up to Rodney. "Rodney? You okay?" he asked. "I'm…I'm fine…" Rodney said, not looking at him. "Rodney…" Glitch said, lightly grabbing her arm. She didn't move, but she didn't look at him.

"It'll be okay, alright?" Glitch said. Rodney looked at him and her eyes too had tears in them. "I wish it would be, Glitch…" she said, pulling away. Aiden looked around. "Those were BAD guys!" he said. The group all looked at him, before laughing. Aiden even joined in on the laughing. Julia shook her head. "Alright, let's move on…" she said.


	12. Chapter 12

"At first sight of those weirdo's, shoot them…." Rodney said, walking next to Julia. Julia looked over at Rodney. "Weirdo's?" she asked. "Well, they are weird…" Rodney pointed out. Julia shook her head with an amused smirk. "So how much further until we reach Central City?" Cain asked. "Who knows… I would say a day at the most," Julia replied.

Cain shrugged. "That's not too bad," "Yes it is! I have to walk a whole day again," Azkadellia spoke up. "Want me to carry you?" DG offered. "Would you?" Azkadellia asked. "No," DG joked, and walked over to talk to Jeb. Azkadellia rolled her eyes. "So what do you want to do on the way? There is a lot of time ahead of us…." Glitch spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know Glitch, you think of something…." Jeb said. "Well I can't. Maybe if I had my other half of my brain back I could come up with something wonderful!" Glitch said, looking over at Cain. "Why are you looking at me?" Cain asked. "I…don't know…" Glitch replied, walking away.

They kept traveling until the hours of the night. Julia and Rodney once again were successful in finding a cave. "A cave again?" Glitch asked. "Would you prefer a tree? Or a rock?" Julia questioned. "No…" Glitch spoke up. "Yea. Didn't think so," Julia replied, setting her weapons down on the ground. Aiden fell asleep near the back of the cave, while the rest of the group was broken into small parts.

Jeb was sitting with DG, Azkadellia was leaning her head against the wall near Aiden, Julia and Cain were sitting near the mouth of the cave, and Glitch and Rodney were sitting outside, looking up at the stars. "You do this a lot?" Glitch asked. "Not as much as I wish I would. Most days Julia and I would sit in the cave, talking. We never really took advantage to admire the stars…." Rodney answered.

"In eight years?" Glitch questioned. "Mmm-hmm," Rodney said, looking at the ground. Glitch looked away for a second. "But it is a beautiful sight," Glitch said, breaking the silence. "Yea. It is…" Rodney added. Glitch looked at Rodney and then placed his hand ontop of hers. Rodney looked down at their hands, unsure of how she felt.

She missed the touch, yet it felt strange to her. She simply smiled up at him, and then held his hand in hers; as they continued to look up at the stars together.

Julia began to play with the string of her bow, lost in her thoughts. Cain looked over at her. "So…" he started. There was a silence. Cain looked away. "What was it liked being trapped for eight years?" Julia blurted. Cain turned to look at her. "What?" he asked. Julia raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Well… I…" he paused and looked at her.

"I missed the little things I never really took advantage of. The smells of the spring flowers in bloom, the taste of the sweet pumpkin pies us tin men used to eat every so many months, the feel of the wind against my cheeks. I never knew how much I would miss those everyday things…until they weren't with me," Cain said, his eyes meeting Julia's.

"What would you think about?" Julia asked. Cain sighed. "All I could think about was vengeance…" Cain spoke up. Julia sighed. "How do you feel now?" Julia asked. Cain looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You're surrounded by all these good people now. How did you feel to be in company with people again?" Julia asked.

"Probably the same way you did…." Cain said. Julia made a face. "So you were annoyed?" she teased. Her and Cain laughed slightly. She sighed. "I always did have Rodney and Aiden though…" Julia said, looking away. "I have always wondered what Olivia would be like…." She said, seeming distant. Cain put his hand on her shoulder in support, and she turned to look at him.

She smiled slightly, which he returned. They didn't need to say words to know that there was a moment of understanding between the two.

"Finally! At least I can see the city in view!" Glitch said. Julia and Rodney rolled their eyes. "It's been so long since we saw a city…" Julia trailed. She looked over at Cain, and he smiled. "Everything will be fine. Trust me," he said, with a nod. Julia looked away and stared at the city. She squinted. "Why do I get the feeling that something bad is going on around here?" she asked.

Cain turned to look as well. He noticed that even from a distance, the city seemed empty. "The city on the hill is starting to tarnish, again…" Cain replied. "We've dealt with this before. Let's go. Mom is going to be extremely worried…" DG said, marching towards the city. Rodney grabbed her arm, and pulled her back. "Ow. Why did you do that?" DG whined.

"You and Azkadellia better stay behind us. Just to be on the safe side. Julia and I will lead," Rodney said, looking at Julia. DG agreed reluctantly. The group proceeded, cautiously. Once the city gates were in view, Cain grabbed onto Julia's shoulder. "What?" she asked. "Longcoats…" he said, sounding confused. It seemed odd to Cain that he and a bunch of other Tin Men had recently jailed all of the longcoats, and now they were running free again.

"The city is the only way to get to your palace. We'll have to pass by the longcoats. I don't think they'd be too friendly with you having just jailed all of them, and the princess's and all…" Julia said, looking at the group. Rodney looked around. "The question is…how?" Rodney asked. "Diversion…" Julia suggested. "Good idea, what diversion?" Glitch asked.

Julia turned to face Cain. "I can show off some rhythm for them…ask them to throw coins at me…" Glitch continued. "Cain, can I see your gun?" Julia asked, holding out her hand. Cain nervously took it from the holster, and handed it over. "I mean…I won't get offended if they call me 'Twinkle Toes'…." Glitch continued, unaware to the fact that he was being ignored.

Julia took the gun, and set down her bow and arrow. She aimed the gun at the glass statue of DG and Azkadellia, that had been placed outside the city gates, not so long ago. There were various paint marks all over, like mustaches. Probably the work of the longcoats. "Sorry princess's…" Julia said, apologetically. She fired the gun, and the statue shattered. The longcoats at the gate all jumped, and scattered in different directions, taking cover. "Let's go…" Rodney spoke up, grabbing a still blabbering Glitch's arm.

The group darted past the longcoats, and snuck into the city. They saw that the streets were near empty, and all the windows were boarded up. "What happened to all the people?" DG asked. "Fear. They probably shut themselves inside their house, only envisioning a world they used to know…" Jeb said, looking at her. Julia looked around, and drew an arrow for a safety precaution.

"Let's go. We aren't going to get you all home by just standing around and gaping…" Rodney spoke up. The group moved through the city, cautiously. Cain held out his arm, stopping Julia. "What?" she asked, annoyed. Cain quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her into the alley. He motioned for the others to follow. They all hurried in, past Julia and Cain. "Cain, don't you think that you're being alittle forward?" Julia asked, uncomfortable.

Cain clasped a hand over her mouth, and looked at her with warning eyes. A few long coats, walked past. "Zero. We've been looking for you," one said. Julia's eyes met Cain's. "Any signs of them?" Zero asked, sounding bored. "No. They must have taken another way around the city…" another longcoat spoke up. "Yes, how do we know what they look like?" the first one spoke up.

There was some movement on the gravel. "Doesn't matter. No one enters or leaves this city. At least not alive," Zero spoke up. "Yes sir…" the third said. The group could hear footsteps fade away. Aiden pressed himself against Rodney's side. She looked down at him, and showed him a small smile. The longcoats walked past the alley, talking.

"I heard that there is a blonde one who kills you if you look into her eyes," one said. Cain began to chuckled slightly, but Julia covered her mouth with her one hand. Cain's eyes looked down at her in an apologetic manner.

"I heard the other one is a red head who drags their victim into the shadows and all you find are the bones of the victims because she eats the rest…" the other one said. Rodney widened her mouth in shock.

Once the footsteps had disappeared, Julia and Cain let go of each other's mouths. "How is that funny?" Julia asked Cain. "I don't know. It just is…" he shrugged. Rodney scoffed. "The rumors these days. Wait, how did they know that we were coming?" she asked. "I would imagine the Baguns tipped someone off. Damn, we should have killed them all…" Julia said, rolling her eyes and stepping out of they alley.

She sighed when she realized that the streets were clear. "Alright, let's go…" she said. They group began to move cautiously. "You think the baguns told the longcoats?" Rodney asked Julia. "Or told someone else. The longcoats couldn't get themselves out of that prison and the baguns are too stupid…" Julia said. She turned to face Cain.

"Anyone on the inside allies with the longcoats?" she asked him. He shook his head. "Not that I know of. All of those tin men are pretty loyal…" he said. She looked away. "Be careful with who you trust these days…" she said, her eyes scanning the streets. "Well, can I trust you?" Cain asked her. She turned to face him again. "Yes," she said. "If I can trust you, after only knowing you for a few days… how can you say not to trust all those tin men?" he asked. "I didn't specifically say 'those tin men cannot be trusted'. I was just pointing out a fact," Julia spoke up.

"Both of you better keep your voices down or I'm shoving an arrow down your throat and my foot up your butt!" Rodney hissed. Aiden giggled slightly. Julia looked over at Rodney and blew raspberry at her. Rodney smiled slightly. The group had made it into the heart of the city. There were a few longcoats about fifteen feet away. The group hid behind different statues.

Rodney sighed. She felt Glitch breathing deeply and she turned to face him. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Sorry, I'm a bit nervous…" he said. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Its gonna be okay. I'll make sure you'll be okay…" she said. Glitch smiled slightly. Rodney looked over at Julia, who was rolling her eyes. Cain was probably talking about his gun again.

Julia straightened her back, and Cain looked down at her. She tilted her head backwards to look up at him and Rodney resisted the urge to laugh. Julia shook her head and aimed her bow at one of the longcoats. Rodney did the same. Rodney heard the sound of heavy breathing and slowly turned to face Glitch. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "Can we go now?" he asked.

She sighed. "Not until we kill these longcoats!" she said, aiming her bow again. Julia's hand was shaking tensely as she pulled back an arrow. She nodded over to Rodney and they fired the arrows, striking down two of the four longcoats. "When I say run, run…" Julia said, to Cain. She motioned for the group to follow her cautiously. Aiden crawled over to Rodney, and hugged her leg.

The group watched as the other two looked down at the bodies, before pulling the arrows out and looking at each other. "You never said 'run'…" Cain spoke up. Julia and Rodney released two more arrows, killing both longcoats. "Run!" Julia said, with a slight smile. The group stood up and sprinted past the dead longcoats, and the gates of the city….


	13. Chapter 13

"Sir, we found them. They are all dead…" the longcoat said, over the radio. Zero sighed. "I'll be right there…" he said. He clicked off his radio. His forehead was creased in anger. When he had found out that the two princess's were still alive, he knew that they had to be killed immediately. He knew he had to kill them before they killed him.

Especially Julia. He had taken the life of her fiancé, and held her back as the baguns killed her child. He knew Rodney would also be after him, for giving the order for the baguns to kill her dearly beloved. Not only was he worried about the two princess's, but also those that were traveling with them. Wyatt Cain, had imprisoned him in a tin suit, but now that he was free again he knew that Cain would only try to do justice again.

Then there was DG and Azkadellia, along with Cain's son and the alchemist, Glitch. They all were his enemies, and they all would kill him. If they were not to kill him, he would be considered lucky. He approached the two longcoats standing above the four dead ones. The one longcoat handed him the arrows. Zero studied them. They were perfectly carved, the symbol for the Ligark Kingdom showing on the center of the wood. The tips were golden, and the feathers as white as snow.

He snapped them out of anger. "Its them alright…. If we are lucky we will reach them when they get to the spot where their kingdom once stood. Come on, let's move…" Zero said, turning on his heel and walking towards the horses…

The group stopped running and Glitch bent over. "Wow. Can we not do that again?" he asked. "You'll get cramps by doing that…" Rodney spoke up. Glitch sat down on the nearby rock. Aiden took a moment, and laid down on the ground. Rodney crouched down. "Are you okay?" she asked him. "I'm tired, Mommy. Can we rest?" Aiden asked. "For alittle bit Aiden…" Rodney replied. "I'll carry him…" Glitch said, standing up.

"Are you sure? You still haven't caught your breath yet…." Rodney said, looking over at him. Glitch dismissed the thought with a simple hand motion. "Its no problem," he said, lifting up the small boy. Rodney smiled over at him in thanks, and Glitch returned the smile.

Julia turned to look at the two princess's. "Are you both okay?" she asked. They nodded. She looked at Jeb. "What about you?" she asked. He nodded. "I'm good. Thanks…" he said. Julia turned to Cain. "And you?" she asked. "Been better, but there's no time for rest. We have to get moving…" Cain said. Julia held a hand up to Cain's chest. "If your not feeling well, we can take a break…" she said, her eyes lingering on his face.

He looked down at her and sighed. "Trust me. I'll be fine…" he said. Julia took her hand away and shrugged. "Okay then…" she said, turning away. Cain looked at the back of her blonde head, thoughtfully. His hand traveled subconsciously to where she touched him on his chest.

"Alright then. Are we ready?" Julia asked. Everyone nodded. "You're sure you are okay with carrying him?" Rodney asked, turning to Glitch. Glitch smiled. "I told you…its okay…" he said, in a gentle tone. Rodney smiled and turned away. "So how much more time till we get to…" Rodney paused, to look at Julia. Julia shot her a side glance. "Tomorrow Morning…" Julia replied. "How do you guys know the way so well?" Jeb piped up.

"Its not hard when you used to run to Central City all the time growing up…" Rodney replied, looking at him. "Oh…" Jeb said, looking away. His gaze traveled to DG. She smiled simply at him, and he quickly looked away, blushing slightly. "So…where we gonna spend the night. Another cave?" Azkadellia asked. "If we can find one…" Julia replied.

"You guys always do. Cave finders!" Glitch said, stopping to get a better grip on Aiden. He resumed walking shortly after. The group had been walking for a good half hour, if not more.

Julia looked over at Cain. "You've suddenly gone quiet…" she said. Cain's blue eyes looked over at her. "Guess I just don't feel like talking much…" he said. Julia made a face. "Well if you're gonna be that way…" she started. "No… I didn't mean…." He paused to see Julia giving him a teasing smile. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what?" he asked.

"So what are you going to do when you get back home?" she asked him. "Probably go back to castle guard again. Why do you ask?" he questioned, looking over at her again. "Not planning on taking anymore 'quests'?" Julia asked, with a small smile. "I think I'll lay off of those for awhile…" he said, a smirk on his face. He looked at the group. "Right guys?" he asked.

"Yea…" Azkadellia, DG, and Jeb replied. Glitch shrugged, and shifted Aiden to his other shoulder. "I don't know. I mean…who knows what other kinds of people we can meet. I mean…we met two amazing people…" Glitch said about both, but looking at Rodney. Rodney smiled, but raised an eyebrow. "We weren't so amazing at first sight now were we?" she asked.

Glitch smiled. "No I wouldn't say you were 'amazing' in the fact of being nice and opening up to us. But you were a pretty amazing fighter…" Glitch said. Aiden buried his face in Glitch's shoulder. Rodney laughed slightly.

Julia looked at Cain. "Well, you know. If one of your…. 'quests'…" she paused to smile, which he returned. "Gets you near our cave, feel free to stop by…" she said. Cain tilted his head. "You're going back?" he asked. "I don't think we have much of a choice…" Rodney spoke up. "No, we love you guys…" Azkadellia said, and DG nodded in agreement.

"Wait! You guys can't leave us…" Glitch said, sad eyes looking over at Rodney. Rodney had to pull her gaze away from his puppy dog eyes. "Again, we don't have much of a choice…" she repeated. "You guys can live with us!" DG spoke up. Glitch's eyes lit up again. "Yea! Then we can…oh… I don't know. But it would be fun…" Glitch said. Rodney smiled at the ground at the child-like spirit.

"Cain, wouldn't that be great?" Glitch asked, looking over at him. Cain's eyes met Glitch's. He nodded. "It would be nice…" he said. He looked at Julia. "Would you live in the castle with all of us?" he asked her. She just stared at him for a second, and then she smiled. "Would I?" she teased. Aiden lifted his head. "You mean I could live with Mr. Cowboy and Mr. Zipper forever?" he asked.

Glitch chuckled slightly. "You could, Aiden…" he said. Aiden smiled. "Yay…" he said. He looked at Glitch. "Can I get down, Mr. Zipper?" he asked. "Sure Aiden…" Glitch said, gently lowering Aiden to the ground. Aiden picked up a stick and began pretending it was a toy sword. Glitch began to rub his arms. "You okay?" Rodney asked. "Yea…" Glitch said, with a nod.

Aiden paused. "What's that?" he asked, pointing his stick forward. The group looked up. "Looks like some kind of…fog…." DG said. Cain shrugged. "We can use it as cover for the longcoats. Besides, it would take longer to try to walk around it…" he said. Julia nodded. "Let's go…" she said. The group slowly began to walk into the fog.


	14. Chapter 14

Azkadellia sniffed. "Is it just me or does that fog have a weird odor to you?" she asked. Rodney paused. "You're right… it does…" she said. She raised her bow cautiously. "Smells like death…" she said. Julia lifted hers as well. "Let's keep moving, but be careful…" she said. The group huddled closer together, and began to move. Rodney thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She fired her arrow, but only heard it clatter against a rock.

Julia looked over at her. "Julia…" came a voice. Julia spun around to look at Cain. "Did you say something?" she asked. Cain shook his head. Julia shook off the thoughts. "Wow…must be old age…" she said. "You're twenty five…" DG spoke up. Julia shot her an amused smile. "In four years, when you get to my age…you'll understand…" she said.

"If you're old. Where does that put a forty two year old man like me?" Cain asked. "Guess that makes you ancient…" Julia said, with a smile. Cain gave her a look. "You're only seventeen years older than me. You're not old…" Julia said, rolling her eyes. "Thanks…" Cain said. "Rodney…" a voice whispered. Rodney's smile disappeared.

"Which one of you said my name?" she asked. "No one did…" Jeb said. Aiden grabbed Glitch's hand. "I don't like this Mr. Zipper…" he whispered. "Julia…" Cain spoke up. Julia looked at him, before where he was pointing. Julia turned to see a small girl, at about the age of eight. She had shoulder length, curly blonde hair. "Mommy…" she said.

Julia lowered her bow. "Olivia…" she said. She looked up to see another figure emerge. His blue eyes met hers, his dark brown hair was cleanly combed back. "Neal…" Julia spoke up. Glitch looked around. "Who is she talking to?" he asked. "Its Olivia and Neal…" Rodney spoke up. "Where? I don't see them…" Glitch said. "Me either…" DG and Azkadellia spoke up.

"Rodney…" came another voice. Rodney turned to see a man with shoulder length dark hair. His gray eyes looked into hers. "Hugh…" she said. Glitch looked around confused. "Cain…Jeb…" came a woman's voice. Cain and Jeb turned to see Adora standing there. "Mom?" Jeb asked. The figures all stood about seven to ten feet away from the group.

"Who are you guys talking to?" Glitch asked. "Why can't we see anyone?" Azkadellia whispered to DG. DG shrugged and followed Rodney's eyes to see where she was looking at. "I have no idea…" she spoke up. Aiden looked up at Glitch. "Who is Olivia, Neal and Hugh?" he asked. Glitch looked down at the small boy. "No one…" he said.

Adora looked at Cain and Jeb. "Mom…" Jeb said, walking towards her. Cain held out his arm, stopping Jeb. "What are you doing?" Jeb asked. "That's not your mother, Jeb. Your mother died. Remember? You were with her when she did…" Cain said, looking at him. Jeb paused, and stepped back. "You're right. Then what is that?" he asked.

"I'm your mother…" Adora spoke up. Cain put his hand on his gun cautiously. "Adora is dead…." He said. "It's the fog. There must be something in the fog creating your deceased loved ones…" Glitch spoke up. Cain looked up at the Adora figure. "I don't know who or even what you are. But my wife is dead. You're not real…" he said. The Adora figure slowly began to fade.

Rodney was too preoccupied in Hugh's figure to hear the conversation between Cain and Glitch. "Hugh…" she said. "You could have stopped the Baguns, Rodney. I tried to save you. Thinking you would save me. You failed, Rodney. You killed me…" he said. Rodney shook her head. "No. I would of saved you. You know that…" Rodney continued.

"Rodney, he's not there…." Glitch spoke up. Rodney ignored him. "You didn't love me did you, Rodney? I was just another notch on the old belt…" Hugh said, shaking his head. "What are you talking about? Of course I loved you! We had such a passionate relationship. We wanted to start a family together…" Rodney continued. "Rodney…" Glitch paused to slide a hand up on her arm.

"Its not Hugh…." Glitch said. Rodney turned to look at him, before looking back at Hugh. "You think this guy would sacrifice his life for you…" he nodded over at Glitch. "Hugh…." Rodney began. "Rodney, fight it. I'm sorry, but that's not the real Hugh. Hugh died. Don't believe that its him…" Glitch spoke up. Rodney furrowed her brow in concern. "I did love Hugh. But you're not the real Hugh. You're just a vision…a memory. Hugh died eight years ago, so stop messing with me and bringing back memories I don't want brought back…" Rodney said. Rodney felt Glitch's hand ontop of hers. Rodney felt his hand squeeze hers. The vision of Hugh smirked wickedly, before fading.

Rodney turned to see Julia, watching the small figure of Olivia and then Neal. She looked over at Glitch and smiled in thanks. Glitch returned the smile, his eyes showing concern and care for her.

Julia watched the small figure of Olivia approach her. "Mommy…" she said. Julia knelt down and the small figure stopped infront of her. "Olivia…" Julia said. She reached her hand up to feel Olivia, but Olivia stepped back. "Don't touch me Mommy…." She said. Julia's face fell slightly. "Julia…" Cain's voice spoke, but Julia ignored him. Olivia stepped backwards. "You let me die, Mommy…" she said. "No Olivia. I tried to help you…" Julia said, standing up again.

Olivia took her place next to the vision of Neal. "You didn't fight the bad guys, Mommy…" she said. Julia dropped her bow and arrow. "Julia…" Rodney spoke up. Julia took a few steps forward, but Rodney grabbed her one arm, and Cain grabbed the other. "Let go of me!" Julia yelled. "Julia, its not them…" Cain said, trying to pull her back.

"Yes it is…" Julia said, aggravated. She turned back to see Neal. "I gave up my life for you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Neal asked. "Of course it does! How can you believe I would think otherwise?" Julia asked. "You couldn't even save the life of our child…" Neal said, his eyes boring into hers. "I tried!" Julia yelled.

DG and Azkadellia looked at each other, worriedly. "Why won't she see they aren't real?" DG asked. Azkadellia shook her head slowly. "I don't know. She just can't bear to let go…" Azkadellia said softly. "You failed miserably…" Neal said. "Neal…" Julia paused to look at Olivia. "Olivia…" she said. Olivia shook her head. "Some mommy you are…" Olivia spoke up.

A few tears sprung from Julia's eyes. "Julia! There is nothing there! Neal and Olivia are dead!" Rodney yelled, squeezing Julia's arm tighter. Julia began to breath heavily. She shook her head. The tears continued to spill. "Julia, let go…" Cain said. Julia closed her eyes. "You are nothing. Neal and Olivia are dead. I'll never see them again. Now…leave…" she said. Rodney watched as the two figures slowly faded.

Julia opened her eyes to see the two figures disappearing. More tears began to spill down her face. Julia buried her face in her hands, crying harder. Cain looked at Rodney, and Rodney released her sisters arm. Cain stepped infront of Julia, and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her cry into his chest. He put one hand on the back of her head, his other hand around her back. Rodney bent down and picked up her bow and arrow. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep more tears from falling.

Her attempt failed, and Glitch looked to see her blue eyes full of tears. Glitch put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into him. Rodney buried her face in his shoulder. Cain still held Julia, but looked over at Glitch. "The sooner we get out of this stuff, the better…" he said. He let go of Julia, and bent down slightly so he was looking her in the face. "Will you be okay?" he asked her. She turned away from him, and took her bow from Rodney. Neither she nor Rodney responded, but instead began to walk forward.

Cain motioned for the rest of the group to walk infront of him. He grabbed Glitch and pulled him back. "What?" Glitch whispered. "Nothing. We should just stay in the back…." Cain said. "But…why? Shouldn't we be with Julia and Rodney?" Glitch asked. Cain shook his head. "No. Give them some time. This fog doesn't look like its that much thicker. Just let them be…" Cain said.

Once the group emerged from the thick fog, they saw that it was getting darker. Julia and Rodney were already headed up the hill, despite the strong winds. Cain and Glitch looked at each other, and followed the rest of the group. After about fifteen more minutes of walking Julia and Rodney found a small cave entrance in the hillside. They each crawled in, and disappeared. The rest of the group reached the hole, and waited. Rodney's head reappeared. "There's a large cave in here, but it's a small entrance. You all should be able to fit…" Rodney said, before her head disappeared again.

It hurt Glitch to see such sadness and hurt in her eyes. Azkadellia went in next, followed by DG and then Jeb. Cain looked at Glitch. Cain nodded and Glitch crawled into the entrance. Cain felt a strong breeze, and put his hand ontop of his hat to keep it from blowing away. He crouched down, and began to crawl through the small tunnel that led to the cave.

He saw DG and Azkadellia sitting in-between Julia and Rodney. Azkadellia was trying to talk to Julia, while DG was trying to talk to Rodney. Each of them had their arms around their legs, their faces buried in their arms, knees up their chests. Jeb was talking to Aiden, across from them. Once Cain and Glitch entered, there was an awkward silence.

Azkadellia and DG shifted to the other side of the room, after many failed attempts to cheer up Julia and Rodney. Rodney lifted her head slowly, tears in her eyes. "I'll be back…I need some time to think…" she muttered. She stood up and slowly walked back to the entrance, and disappeared through the small space. Glitch looked at Cain. "I'm going to make sure she is okay…" he said. "Glitch…" Cain warned.

"No. I want to…" Glitch said, his face serious. He disappeared through the crawl space before Cain could respond. Cain looked over at Julia, and sat next to her with his back against the wall. She kept her face buried in her knees. He continued to look at her, before clearing his throat. "I'm really sorry…" he said. "For what?" Julia asked, her face still in her knees.

"I shouldn't have said to walk through the fog. We could of found another way around it…" Cain spoke up. Julia lifted her head up, but stared at the ground, refusing to let him see her cry. "You couldn't have known. We didn't know what to expect…" she said. Cain opened his mouth to protest, but he closed it almost right away. "Besides, it helped me finally let go of those painful memories…" Julia said, finally turning to look at him. Cain's forehead creased in worry as he looked at her now red and puffy eyes.

His gaze on her softened. "But…you shouldn't of had to face them. You shouldn't have been put in that position…" Cain said, his eyes lingering on her face. "Cain, the fault was not yours. Neal was right. I should have stopped….I should of saved Olivia…" Julia said, looking away.

"No. Hey, look at me…" Cain said, shifting to look at her better. Julia turned to face him. "Don't start thinking that. What happened, happened. Its in your past now. You did everything you could. Its not like you ran away and didn't try. You did your best. I'm sure they know that you did. Just don't place this on yourself…" Cain said.

Julia smiled slightly, and placed her chin on her knees. Cain reached over and took her hand in his. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. She looked over at him, and saw the care in his eyes. She smiled slightly, and he returned the smile. The two sat in silence…


	15. Chapter 15

Rodney leaned against the tree, despite the strong winds. She didn't want to cry infront of everyone. To her, crying was a sign of weakness. She couldn't believe how she cried infront of everyone else earlier. "Rodney!" came the voice of Glitch. Rodney turned to face him, and she gasped slightly. "Glitch, what are you doing?" she asked him.

"I don't know! Something just told me to come out and follow you!" Glitch yelled over the wind. He made his way over to the tree, and stood infront of her. "The wind is strong!" he spoke up. Rodney sighed. "Glitch, you shouldn't be out here…" Rodney said. "Neither should you. Its too dangerous…" Glitch said, his face getting serious.

She looked up at him. "Glitch, its not safe out here…" she said. "I'm not leaving you out here all alone…" Glitch said, his eyes looking into hers. Rodney began to cry, and she turned her back to him. Glitch tilted his head, and walked infront of her. He saw the tears sliding down her face. Glitch put his hands on the sides of her shoulders. "Rodney…" he said. She began to sob and began pounding his chest.

"Why did he have to die!? Why is this happening to us!? Why did I see him in the fog?! Why do all these horrible memories keep coming back to me?!" she yelled. She paused, and placed her two hands on Glitch's chest, and looked down at the ground. Tears fell from her face, down to the ground. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I hit you…" she said. Glitch looked down at her. She began to shake, and Glitch pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back, enjoying the warmth and feel.

She felt the wind start to calm down. She didn't know whether this was just a coincidence or a sign that everything was doing to be okay now. Glitch saw that the sky still remained dark, but the breeze was gentle now. Rodney squeezed his arm slightly. "Rodney, just know you don't need to face this alone. We are all here for you. You've been living on your own with your sister and Aiden all these years. But now, know that you have a whole new family with you. We are going to take care of you. I promise you that…" Glitch said softly, stroking the back of her head.

Rodney pulled her face out of his chest, and looked at him. "Thank You Glitch. For everything…" she said. Glitch smiled warmly at her. "You're welcome…" he said softly. He ran a few fingers gently over her cheek. She continued to stare up at him. In his eyes she saw a child's spirit, mixed with nothing but kindness, care and concern.

She tilted her head up slightly, slightly standing on her toes. She closed her eyes, and could soon feel his breath on her lips as he leaned in to close the gap between them. His lips pressed softly against hers. It was a kind, sweet, gentle kiss. A kiss that Rodney knew meant Glitch would always be there to take care of her. They pulled apart slightly, and they both opened their eyes unsure of whether this was a fantasy or reality.

That's when Rodney saw him infront of her and she smiled. He returned the smile, his eyes glowing. She closed her eyes again as their lips met once again, and the breeze blew through her hair. Rodney felt more at home now than she did in the last eight years….

Cain stared down at Julia while she slept on the floor, next to him. His back felt sore from sitting against the stone wall. He saw that DG and Azkadellia had fallen asleep, and Jeb was asleep. Aiden was playing a counting game with his fingers. Cain turned his attention back to Julia. He was glad to see she was finally able to get some rest after all the tears.

Cain hated to see anyone cry, especially a friend. He shifted slightly. He wondered what would happen if the two girls did come back to the castle with them. Where would their royalty go? They each were heirs to their own throne. What if they went away and Cain never got to see them, even Aiden again? In the past few days, Cain had managed to forget all of the memories of the past and feel free.

Julia rolled over in her sleep so she was facing him. He smiled slightly. It was the first time she looked peaceful all day. There was some rustling and Cain looked over to see Rodney coming through the entrance, slowly followed by Glitch. Rodney turned and smiled at Glitch, before taking a spot not too far from Julia and laying down. She closed her eyes and tried to dream, but doubted any dream would be better than what she had just experienced.

Cain looked over at Glitch as he sat diagonal from him. Glitch had a small but dreamy smile on his face. "What's gotten into you?" Cain asked. "Oh? Nothing…" Glitch said. Cain tilted his head, and covered his face with his hat. "If you say so…" Cain said. "I kissed her…" Glitch whispered, although more to himself. Cain slowly reached up and took the hat off his face, and looked at his best friend.

"You did what?" Cain asked with a small smile. "I….kissed her…" Glitch said, blushing slightly. Cain smiled fully. "Wow. That's…wow. Good for you Glitch…" Cain said, placing his hat back on his face. "I know…" Glitch said. He allowed a childish smile to cross his face. He never had a real relationship with a woman before. Now that he had, he felt something wonderful. He couldn't describe it in words. It was like a strong happiness, sprinkled with unending joy. This girl was now everything to him, and he was going to protect her. With his life….

"Wake…up!" Julia said, nudging Cain in his ribcage. Cain groaned and took his hat off his face. "Good morning…" he said. "Come on. If we leave now, and find something to eat on the way…we will be back at your kingdom by nightfall…" Julia said with a small smile. Cain smiled. "I see your feeling better this morning. I'm glad…" he said. She returned the smile, and disappeared through the entrance of the cave.

"Hurry up! You're the last one out!" she called back to him. Cain groaned and stepped through, the sun meeting his face. He put his hat on his head. "Now where do we go?" he asked. "This way…" Rodney said. She walked past Glitch, blushing slightly as a smile passed between the two of them. Cain looked over at Julia. "So…how was your sleep?" Cain asked. "Um. It was good. I had the weirdest dream though…" Julia said, looking at him.

"Really? Was I in it?" Cain asked, raising an eyebrow. "Actually….yes…" Julia said. "Oh. Did I save you from the big scary monster?" Cain asked, with a playful smile. "Cain was in your dream. I am assuming it must have been a nightmare…" Glitch spoke up. Cain shot him a look and Glitch gave him an innocent smile. "No not exactly…but I…." Julia paused. She looked over at Rodney.

The woods were too familiar. She looked down and saw the dirt path. She bent down and touched it. "Its still in tact…" she said. Rodney looked up. "We are closer to it then I thought…I figured we wouldn't get here until noon…" Rodney trailed. Julia looked at Rodney. The two began sprinting along the dirt path. The rest of the group looked at each other. Glitch let Aiden climb on his back, before running after them.

Cain followed next, and the rest of the group followed suite. "Julia! Rodney!" Cain yelled. He could see the two figures disappearing behind and popping out behind trees and rocks. They disappeared through a hedge of bushes. Cain stopped and parted the bushes. The others followed through, including a whining Azkadellia who was complaining about how her feet hurt.

Once the whole group was through, Cain stepped through. He saw Julia and Rodney staring out at the ocean. They looked at each other. "This…is where our kingdom was…" Julia said, her eyes wide. "It…its completely gone…" Rodney finished. Glitch tilted his head. Cain looked over at Julia. "You're sure?" he asked. Julia nodded "Positive…" she said.

Aiden moved towards a rock, and sat down on it. He looked down to see a symbol imprinted. "Mommy…Mommy…" Aiden said. Julia and Rodney turned to face him. He pointed his tiny finger at the symbol. Julia and Rodney walked over and looked down at it. The letter "L", entwined with Roses and thorns was on the rock. Rodney paused. "No…look…" she said. She reached out and pressed down on the "L" which sunk slightly into the rock.

A light shone from the crack in the rock, and a woman with waist length blonde hair appeared. Her blue eyes looked sad, and her expression sulk. "My dearest Rodney and Julia…" she said. Julia turned. "Mom…" she said. "By the time you get this message, I will probably be dead. The kingdom will have seemed to disappear. But know my children, not everything is as it seems. Find the rose, and send it to the memories of our kingdom. I'm sorry there is only so much I can say. I love you both very much. Its time to fulfill your destinies…." She said. The image disappeared.

"Find the rose?" DG repeated. Julia and Rodney looked at each other. "The woods…" Rodney said. They turned to face the hedges. They both walked over to them, and began to spread apart random patches of the bush. Cain and Glitch looked at each other, shared a confused look, and then looked back at the two girls. "I found it…" Rodney said. Julia watched as she pulled out a beautiful red rose, with some raindrops still on it.

The two girls walked back towards the ocean. "Send it to the memory of our kingdom…." Julia said, staring out. She reached out, so both her and Rodney were holding the rose. They bent down and released it into the waves. The stood up and watched as it was carried out. The waves suddenly stopped. The rose began to twirl around in the water.

"So it was never an ocean then. The waves kept it hidden…" DG whispered to Azkadellia. Azkadellia nodded. The rose continued to twirl, and from the rose appeared a series of different colors. The colors spread over the now lake. The rose slowly began to twirl, and sank, still twirling. The colors began to set in place. The sun lit up the colors, and the group covered their eyes. Rodney buried her face in Glitch's shoulder, and Cain pulled Julia into him and squeezed his eyes shut in her shoulder while she hid her eyes in his shoulder.

Once they could feel the light die down, they all turned and opened their eyes. Rodney's eyes lit up in awe. Julia opened her mouth slightly. Before the group, stood a beautiful white castle. The Ligark Kingdom had risen once again.


	16. Chapter 16

For awhile everyone just stared up at it. Rodney cautiously stepped forward and pushed open the white marble door. It opened and the group could see a ballroom, with two sets of staircases on either side of the room leading up to a second floor, which was a sort of balcony to look out on the dance-floor at, or cascade down the steps.

Rodney turned to look at Julia. "How?" was all she could ask. Julia shook her head. "I…don't…know…" Julia replied. There was a sound of a horse screeching. "Its about time you all showed up…" came a strange, yet familiar voice. Julia and Rodney slowly turned to see a bunch of Longcoats on horses, followed by a few others on foot.

The one on the black horse in the center smiled. Cain looked up. "Zero," he stated simply. Julia squared her jaw, and she felt her muscles tighten. "Very good, Cain. Looks like you've met the princess's…" Zero said, swinging his leg over the horse. He jumped off and slowly approached the group. A few of his men joined him. Rodney pushed Aiden behind her.

Cain and Glitch stepped infront. "Leave them alone…" Glitch said. Zero chuckled. "Who is going to make me…you? Zipperhead? Cain?" Zero asked, looking at the two. "Speaking of you Cain, we brought a present for you…" Zero said with a smile. "Yea? Well, sorry to disappoint you but…I don't want it…" Cain said with a glare.

"I wasn't asking you if you did want it. I'm telling you because you're getting it…" Zero said. He turned to see a few longcoats set down one of the tin suits. Cain shifted uncomfortably. "You're not touching my dad…" Jeb said, stepping forward. One of the long coats pulled a gun on him, and Jeb stopped. Four more Longcoats came and seized Cain and Glitch. They pulled them to the side, and Zero looked at Julia and Rodney.

"Well, if it isn't the lovely two princess's…" he said, circling them. He looked down at Aiden. "And…this…" he said. Aiden whimpered slightly. "What do you want, Zero?" Rodney asked. "Well, obviously I want you both dead. But you see, its not quite that simple…" Zero said. He nodded to a few longcoats. Two seized Rodney and one grabbed Aiden.

Julia looked around, in panic. "This familiar to you, Julia?" Zero asked. Julia turned to face him. "You're sister and…whatever he is…" Zero said, nodding towards Aiden. Julia simply glared at him. "Held back, and all of your friends? You know why I didn't kill you that night?" Zero asked, stepping closer so he was a few inches away.

"Do I care?" Julia retorted. "You know, your fiancé was a coward. I pretty much sliced him up right on the-"

"Zero, what do you want? You gonna talk about how you 'almost' did things or are you going to get to the point?" Julia asked. Zero drew his gun. "I want you to drop your bow first…" Zero said. Julia looked over at Rodney, who was struggling. "Julia don't…" Cain spoke up. Zero turned to face him. "I think we've had enough from you Cain…into the suit you go…" Zero said.

"Wait!" Julia yelled. Zero turned to face her. She dropped her bow and quiver onto the ground, and then stood up. She held up her hands. "Now what?" she asked. Zero smiled. "See those woods?" Zero asked. Julia nodded, resisting the urge to make a snappy comment. "I want you to run through them…" he said. Julia raised an eyebrow. "You want me to…run through the woods?" she asked.

"Yes," Zero replied, pointing his gun at her. "Um, no…" Julia replied. Zero shrugged and walked over towards Rodney and Aiden. He cocked the gun. "Maybe this will give you alittle…push…" he said. He placed the gun against Rodney's head. "Don't…" Julia said, backing away. "Run…" Zero said, with a smile. Julia continued to back away. "Run…" he repeated.

Julia turned to look at Cain, before she began to sprint through the woods and out of sight. Zero put his gun back in his holster. "Now that that's settled…" he said. He looked at Rodney, before heading over towards Cain. Cain was struggling. Zero smiled. "Now, its really time for you to get back in there…" Zero said. The two longcoats began to drag Cain towards the tin suit.

Cain was struggling even more now. Zero began to laugh. Cain felt the longcoats lift him slightly. Cain turned to the side, and head butted one of them. They grunted slightly. Zero sighed in annoyance. "Honestly, how long does it take for you to get a man in a suit?" he asked, walking towards them. Cain began to struggle more. He refused to go back in the suit, and lose everything once again. Zero pushed hard on Cain's chest as the other two lifted him up. Zero grabbed the door, and slammed it shut. He took two screws and set them in place.

He peered inside the suit to look at Cain's face. He laughed before turning to the rest of the group. He walked towards Glitch. He drew his gun. Glitch shifted slightly. "You're the reason that darkness didn't cover the OZ the last time. It's your fault our plans failed…" Zero said. He cocked the gun. "Now, you're going to pay…" he said.

Rodney broke into a quick sprint, and jumped onto Zero's back. She reached forward and pulled the gun back, so it fired at one of the longcoats. Zero began to turn rapidly, before reaching over his shoulder and throwing Rodney forward. She landed on her back. "Tie her up…" Zero said, breathing heavily. He looked at Glitch. "Him too…" he said. He turned to look at Aiden, and he smiled wickedly.

"Hello there…" he said. Aiden shifted slightly. He grabbed Aiden by his arm and shoved him towards one of the longcoats. "Give him to the baguns…" he said. Zero mounted his horse. "I don't care what you do with the rest of them, I've got a catch to catch…" Zero said. He snapped the reins and he disappeared into the woods….

Julia continued to run. She couldn't help but stumble along the way. She was resisting the urge to cry. She could hear screams in the distance, but did not look back. She feared if she went back they would all be dead, and she would be too late. She could hardly see now. The woods were too dense. She was lost. She began to spin around in different directions.

The voices were fading away now. She leaned against a tree. It was happening all over again, but this time she was alone. She was cold, wet, and alone. She began to shiver slightly. There was a crunch and a hand covered her mouth, and the other came around her waist and across her stomach.

She felt someone's lips press against her ear. "Hello princess…" came the voice of Zero.


	17. Chapter 17

Rodney and Glitch were gagged now. They were tied back to back. They were sitting in the middle of the woods, with four longcoats guarding them. Rodney began to chew away at her gag. Eventually she was able to get her mouth out. "Glitch….listen to me. We both need to help each other out with these knots. Keep pulling at whatever string you find…" Rodney whispered. Glitch grunted.

The one longcoat turned and made a face. He walked up to Rodney and fixed her gag, this time making it tighter. The sides of her mouth began to bleed slightly. The longcoat slapped her. "Nice try princess…" he said. He walked away, laughing. Rodney grunted in anger. If only he knew what she was capable of. She felt the ties loosen, and she slid her one hand out. The other hand helped Glitch. She ungagged herself, and untied her feet. She quickly helped Glitch. She nodded towards two of the longcoats and Glitch nodded.

Rodney walked up to the other two. She tapped the one on his shoulder. He turned around to look at her. She smiled. "Hi there…." She said, before punching him across the face. She grabbed the other one by his shoulders and kneed him. She turned to see Glitch hurricane kick the longcoats, before turning to face her. "Nice…" she said. Glitch smiled. "Are you okay?" Glitch asked, walking over to her and putting a hand on the side of her face.

"Yep, are you?" she asked. Glitch smiled. "Alright, now we go save everyone else…" Rodney said. They both began to run back to the hedges…..

Julia felt herself being forced to sit down in the chair. She felt her hands get tied behind her back, and the cloth was removed from her eyes. She saw that she was in a dim-lit cave. She felt a hand press firmly on her shoulder. "May I say what a pleasure it is to have you back….princess…" came Zero's voice. He stepped infront of her and she felt another Longcoat hold her down.

"Oh yes, what a pleasure…" Julia said, rolling her eyes. Zero grabbed her face and turned her to face him. He leaned in slightly. "You don't seem happy to see me…" he said. "Should I be? Oh that's right…you helped murder all of my people….so I guess that means…no I'm not happy to see you…." Julia said. Zero grunted and then slapped her across the face.

She turned back to face him, smiling slightly. "You happy to see me now?" he asked. "No, I'm thinking your lucky my hands are tied right now…" Julia said, her eyes darkening slightly. Zero shot her a look, before sighing slightly. "You know…I was planning on giving you a quick death, but now I realize that that wouldn't be so much fun after all. I mean, now that we are getting to know each other…" Zero said, circling her.

"Hmmm…." Julia said with a fake smile. Zero pulled out his small dagger and stepped infront of her. "Now, you're going to tell me what I want to hear…" he said, with a wicked smirk….

Rodney and Glitch were running through the woods. Rodney spotted two longcoats walking through the woods. Aiden was with them. "What are we doing with him?" one asked. "Giving him to the baguns. They said that they would meet us in the middle of the woods…" the second said. "What are we going to do? You don't have your bow and arrows…." Glitch said, looking over at Rodney.

Rodney began to move towards the longcoats, carefully hiding behind the trees and rocks as she passed. "We are just going to have to take them out…." Rodney said, quickly looking at him. "Okay…" Glitch agreed. "This is what I want you to do. I want you to grab Aiden and run. Don't look back. If I get captured, don't come back for me. Find my sister and everyone else. We can't have everyone dying…" Rodney said.

"No…" Glitch said. Rodney turned to look at him. "You grab Aiden and run. I'm worth nothing in this world compared to you. You have a sister and a kid in your life. Let me do this…." Glitch said. Rodney's eyes softened. "Glitch…" she said. Glitch shook his head. "No. Nothing is more important to me than your and Aiden's safety. Besides….its only two longcoats…" Glitch said, with a small smile.

Before Rodney could protest, Glitch took her hand. "Please Rodney…." He said. She leaned in and put her forehead against his, closing her eyes. "Be careful, Glitch…." She said. "Don't worry. I will be…" Glitch said. They looked at each other for a second, before kissing softly. They pulled apart, and then headed for the longcoats.

The longcoats were headed their way. Once they were close enough, Glitch nodded. He jumped out and tackled the one, and they began rolling around on the dirt. Rodney leapt down and quickly punched the second one, before grabbing Aiden. "Mommy!" Aiden said, embracing her. "It's okay, Aiden…" she said. Glitch stood up and looked at her. "Go Rodney! Go!" he said. Rodney looked at him. "Just go!" he said.

He turned and began to attack the longcoat again. Rodney lifted Aiden up, and began to run through the woods. She had been running for about a minute or two before she stopped. She set Aiden down and was breathing heavily. "Mommy where is my other mommy? Where is Mr. Cowboy? Is Mr. Zipper coming?" Aiden asked. There was a gunshot and Rodney turned in the direction. It had come from the direction where she just came.

"Glitch…" she said. She turned to look at Aiden. "Aiden, I want you to go back to the big white castle. You remember where that was?" Rodney asked. Aiden nodded with a smile. "When you get there, I want you to hide in the bushes okay?" she asked, and Aiden nodded again. Rodney kissed the top of his head, before he took off. Rodney waited until he disappeared, before turning and running for Glitch. "Hang on Glitch…" she said, breathing heavily…..

Julia was almost at the brink of tears. She felt she needed to cry, but she refused to. She would not cry infront of Zero, despite the many cuts he had given her over her arms and legs. Zero dropped the knife and walked over to her. "You're more durable than I thought you would be…" he said, with a slight smile. "I will never give in to the things you do to me. I'll never tell you anything you want to hear. So you might as well just kill me, because whatever torture you put me through…I'll deal with it all. I'm not going to risk my sister, our child, or our…friends… safety…" Julia said, looking up at him.

"Perhaps some are more than just friends?" Zero asked. "I do not know what you speak of," Julia said, looking away. "It's not what I speak of, but rather whom I speak about. Your sister, Rodney isn't it? Seemed to be very defensive of the Zipperhead….Glitch…whatever his name is. And then there was that look you gave Cain before you sprinted off into the woods. The way you tried to save him…" Zero said.

"What do you mean by 'tried to'? What did you do to him?" Julia asked. "See what I mean? You don't even deny…" Zero said. Julia growled slightly. Zero chuckled. "Fine. You don't want to talk…we'll do things the hard way…" Zero said. He stepped behind her and grabbed her one arm, and pressed his cheek against hers. "I want you to scream for me…" he said. The other longcoat picked up the knife and approached her. "Scream…" Zero said. Julia pressed her mouth into a thin line. The longcoat raised the knife up and stabbed Julia in the thigh. Julia whimpered slightly and bit her lip to keep the scream from coming out.

"Almost there…" Zero said, and the other longcoat pulled the knife out. Julia felt angry tears welling up in her eyes, but she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Zero grab her arm tighter. "I said….scream…" Zero said. "You can do with me whatever you want…but I won't scream for you…." Julia said. Zero sighed. "Fine…have it your way…" Zero said. He grabbed her arm and begun to twist it. Julia squeezed her eyes shut again, and she felt her arm break….


	18. Chapter 18

Rodney was running through the woods in panic. She saw the two longcoats, standing over Glitch. Rodney charged through the bushes, and jumped on the back of the one longcoat, and snapped his neck. She turned to look at the other one, and began hitting him in any part she could. He fell to the ground. Rodney tore his gun off of him and began hitting him with the gun.

Finally she aimed the gun and shot him in the head. She threw the gun down and turned to Glitch. "Glitch…" she said, shaking him. "Rodney, you…came back…where is Aiden?" Glitch asked, looking around. He had a bullet wound in his shoulder, and it was bleeding heavily. "Of course I came back. Come on….let's get you back to the castle…" she said, helping him up. She looked at him. "I couldn't just leave you out here…" she said. Glitch looked at her. "Thank You…Rodney…" he said.

Together they walked through the woods, until they reached the bushes. "Aiden?" Rodney asked. Aiden emerged from the bushes, along with Azkadellia. "Azkadellia?" Rodney asked. Azkadellia helped her carry Glitch through the hedges. "What are you…how did you?" Rodney asked. "The longcoats took us to the woods. They were going to shoot us dead. We all got them disarmed and ran. DG and Jeb told me that they were heading to our kingdom to get help. They stole two of the longcoats horses. So they should be returning soon…." Azkadellia said, with a blank expression.

"How long have you been hiding here?" Rodney asked, before looking at Aiden. "I actually just got here. It took me longer since I was on foot, plus there are a dozen longcoats everywhere…" Azkadellia said. "Wait, is Cain still back here?" Glitch asked, his hand holding his would. They turned to see the tin suit still in place. The group walked up to it. Azkadellia put her hand ontop of the screws and began to twist them off.

When she had gotten both, Rodney opened the door and Cain fell out. His face had some silver paint marks on it. His hat rolled off, and Aiden ran to pick it up. "Cain?" Azkadellia asked. Cain looked up. "Az, Rodney, Glitch…" he paused when Aiden rushed over to him with his hat. Cain stood up with the help of Rodney and Azkadellia. "Thank you, Aiden…" Cain said. He looked around. "Jeb? DG?" he asked. "They went back to our kingdom to get help…" Azkadellia said. Cain looked around again, before looking at Rodney. "Where is Julia?" he asked.

"Zero…" Rodney replied. Cain looked up, and put his hat back on. He looked to the right and saw Julia's bow and arrow. He picked it up and stared at it, his expression soft. He turned back to the group. "We have to find her. Rodney, you stay with Glitch…I'll go find her…." Cain said. "Cain, she's my sister. There is no way I'm not going," Rodney spoke up. "No Cain, I'm fine. Its just a gunshot wound…" Glitch said. Cain sighed. "Fine, we will all go. But hurry. Zero could have her dead any second…" Cain said, before breaking into sprint….

Zero untied Julia and shoved her to the ground. She grabbed her broken arm, painfully. Zero began to chuckle slightly. "Boris, you take care of her. You come with me and we can go torture the other one and the Zipperhead. Then we can go kill the Tin Man…" Zero said. He turned to look at Julia. "It was nice seeing you again, princess…" Zero said, before walking out. Julia turned to face Boris, who pointed his gun at her.

Julia began to shake slightly. "I get to shoot someone today…I'm lucky…" he said. Julia raised an eyebrow. Maybe this longcoat wasn't as smart or as tough as she thought. She smiled, before turning to her side. He cocked the gun. Julia used her legs to act as scissors between his calves and he fell down. Julia stood up painfully and kicked the gun out of his hand. She grabbed his throat with one hand and began to choke him.

His two hands grabbed her one, as his color began to fade. Soon he stopped struggling, and was dead. Julia stood up, feeling nauseous. She walked over to the gun and picked it up. "Guess your not so lucky after all…" Julia said to the corpse. She chuckled slightly, before grunting in pain and grabbing her arm. She cocked the gun and walked outside the cave.

She looked around in all directions, trying to figure out which way Zero had disappeared off to. She began to walk to the right. She needed to find him before he tried to kill someone else….

Cain was rushing through the woods. He wouldn't let someone else he cared about be murdered by the likes of Zero. He could hear Rodney and Glitch almost directly behind him, and Azkadellia was with Aiden not too far behind him. Cain dared not call out her name, fearing the worst. If Zero or any other longcoats heard them coming, they would shoot them or worse, kill Julia on the spot.

Cain stopped suddenly and heard an 'oof' as someone ran into his back and fell to the ground. "Nice one, Glitch…" Cain said, without turning around. Glitch moaned and stood up. "How'd you know it was me?" Glitch asked. "Knowing you, you would run right into me…" Cain said, fighting a small smile. He began to look around. "This way…" he said…

Julia was ducking behind random bushes. She had found footprints, and eventually heard Zero's voice. She eventually saw his head in view, two longcoats were standing next to him on either side. Julia cocked the gun and stood up. "Stop Zero…" Julia said. Zero slowly turned around. "You're still not dead? Somehow that doesn't surprise me…" Zero said. He looked at her gun.

"Oh. The princess wants to play…" he said, looking over at one of the longcoats with a small chuckle. The other longcoats joined in. "Okay princess, let's play…" Zero said, his face getting angry as he pulled out his gun. The two began to walk in a circle, Julia limping, guns pointed at one another, eyes not leaving each others. "I have fair advantage. I'm not the one with the broken arm…" he said with a smirk. "I can still shoot you…" Julia said, narrowing her eyes. She grunted slightly at the increase of pain in her arm.

"So…shoot…what's stopping you?" Zero asked. Julia paused. She knew the speech, and she didn't want to or need to hear it. "I'm about to…" Julia said, her finger pulling slightly on the trigger. "There she is! Hey Mommy!" came the voice of Aiden. Julia turned her head slightly to see everyone coming. Zero took the opportunity and fired the gun, hitting Julia in her good shoulder. Julia dropped the gun, and fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Zero began to take off down the trail. Rodney went to run, but Julia held up her foot. "No. Don't even. He will just kill you…" Julia said, breathing heavily. "But he will come back if we don't!" Rodney protested. "Then let him. I'm not finished with him…" Julia growled. Rodney looked in the direction Zero and the two longcoats had disappeared in, and then sighed.

Glitch stood next to her, and squeezed her hand. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Glitch, you're more hurt than me. Why are you asking me?" Rodney asked. "Because, I need to make sure you're okay first…" Glitch said with a small smile. Rodney looked at his bullet wound, which was still bleeding before looking at him. "Oh Glitch…" she said, hugging him.

"You've got to be the sweetest guy…" she said.

Julia laid flat on her back, and fought tears. Cain knelt down next to her. "Julia…do you need me to carry you?" he asked. "No…no I can walk…" Julia said, she went to use her arm that she was shot in to help her stand up, but she fell to the ground again. "No, I'm carrying you…" Cain said. He gently lifted her broken arm over his head, and he ducked slightly. She winced slightly at the pain. Cain gave her an apologetic look and he slid his one hand under her mid-back and his other under her legs. He lifted her up bridal style.

"Thank you…" she said, resting her head on his chest, just under his chin. "You're welcome…" he said. Glitch continued to hold Rodney's hand as they made way back towards the hedges. The arrived there to see DG, Jeb, Raw, and Ahamo there on horses. Ahamo slid off. "Welcome home Julia and Rodney, princess's of the Ligark kingdom…" he said with a small smile.

Rodney smiled in reply and nodded politely. Julia however, did not reply because she had fallen asleep on Cain's chest. Raw jumped off his horse and walked towards Cain. He pressed his one hand on Julia's bullet wound, and it began to heal. Once it was fully healed, Cain started to lower her to the ground so Raw could heal her broken arm and her knife wound. He ducked so her arm would slide over his head. Julia woke up with a start, and quickly grabbed onto Cain's arm with her now healed arm.

Cain smiled. "It's okay. Raw is a viewer. He's going to heal your broken arm…" he said. Julia turned to Raw and smiled slightly. She felt Raw's hands press against her broken arm and she whimpered slightly, squeezing Cain's arm harder. Once it was fully healed, she let go of Cain and began to move her arm around. "Thank You…" she said.

"Good that Julia okay…" Raw said, running towards Rodney and Glitch. Julia raised an eyebrow at Raw. "One shining moment, and then he talks like that…" Julia muttered, although she knew Cain heard her by the smirk on the side of his lips. "Oh…thank you Cain…" Julia said. Cain shrugged. "No problem…" he said, and the two shared a smile.

Raw went over towards Glitch. "No…heal her first…" Glitch said, looking at Rodney. "But Glitch, you were shot. I just have cuts and scraps…" Rodney said. "I know, but…you first…" Glitch said with a caring smile. Raw put his one hand on Rodney's face and she moved slightly. "It's okay Raw doesn't bite…" Glitch said with a smile. "At least….I don't think he does…do you, Raw?" Glitch asked. Raw shook his head. "Raw only heal and see…" he said. Rodney gave Raw a weird look. "Okay then…" she said. Raw put his hand on Rodney's face again and healed her of her wounds. He shifted over to Glitch.

Raw began to heal Glitch's wound, and Aiden ran over towards Rodney. "Its my fault Mommy Julia got shot…" Aiden said, with a sad face. "Aiden, don't think that way sweetie. Mr. Zero is just a bad…bad….man….who doesn't like us. It wasn't your fault Aiden…" Rodney said. "It wasn't?" Aiden asked, smiling slightly. "No…" Rodney said. Aiden smiled and skipped over towards Julia and Cain, who looked down at him as soon as he came over.

He said something to Julia, before hugging her around her legs. Julia and Cain looked at each other for second, before Julia picked him up. The three of them began talking. Azkadellia walked over and tilted her head. "They kind of look like…a family…" she said. Rodney looked over at her. "Trust me. My sister together with Cain would lead to….hey…it wouldn't be so bad…" Rodney agreed.

Glitch smiled. "Aiden seems to like Cain," he said. Rodney looked at him. "I get the feeling that he's closer to you though. I mean, from our time together he loves to play games with you…" Rodney said, and Glitch smiled again. "Mr. Zipper…" Rodney continued, smiling slightly. Glitch laughed. "He's a good kid. Fun too…" Glitch said. He took her hand. "I get it…leave the lovebirds to be…" Azkadellia said, walking away.

"Az…" Rodney said, rolling her eyes. "Come on, you can meet the king…" Glitch said, nodding towards him. Rodney and Glitch joined the rest of the group. Ahamo looked at them. "Good day to you Princess Rodney. You're sister tells me that you have been living on your own for eight years, staying hidden…" Ahamo said. Rodney nodded. Ahamo smiled before looking at Cain. "Mr. Cain, I'd like for you and Mr. Glitch to stay here and make sure they settle into their home alright. Azkadellia, you stay here as well. I'll take DG and Jeb back with me…" Ahamo said.


	19. Chapter 19

Everyone shared hugs, before the group split. Julia looked at Rodney and smiled. "So, you ready?" Julia asked. Rodney smiled. Julia set Aiden down, and he grabbed on to Glitch's one hand and Cain's other hand. Cain looked down at Aiden, confused for a second. Then when Aiden smiled up at him, Cain couldn't help but smile.

Julia and Rodney pushed open the doors. Rodney looked over at Julia, before stepping inside. They each took opposite sides of the staircase and began to walk up them. They heard the rest of the group follow, but they were alittle behind. Julia and Rodney began to walk through the halls, looking into various rooms and smiling at some old paintings on the walls.

"Looks the same as we left it…" Julia said. "Minus the war…" Rodney replied. Julia nodded in agreement. They turned to face the group. "Welcome to the Ligark kingdom…" they both said.

Later on that night, Julia and Rodney were now dressed in new clothing. They had found their chests and changed into simple travel dresses. Cain, Glitch, Aiden and Azkadellia looked up when they entered the room. "I like it…" Azkadellia said with a small smile. "It seemed simple…" Julia said with a shrug. Julia took her place on the small sofa next to Cain, and Rodney sat next to Glitch on the other one. Azkadellia sat comfortably on a simple lounge chair with Aiden on her knee.

Glitch put his hand ontop of Rodney's and they shared a smile. "So what happens next?" Azkadellia asked. "We will just see what happens. Maybe we can get travelers to live here. The people we rescued….and some could work here if they wish…" Rodney responded. Azkadellia nodded. "Well…" she paused to do a small laugh. "I'm sure you could borrow some of ours. We have too many as it is…" Azkadellia said. "Thanks…" Rodney said, smiling slightly.

Aiden yawned. "Aiden, are you tired?" Rodney asked. Aiden nodded. Rodney stood up. "Come on. I'll find you a room…" Rodney said, and Aiden ran over to her. "I'll come with you…" Glitch suggested, standing up. He took Rodney's hand again and the three of them disappeared down the hall. Azkadellia looked over at Julia and Cain and smiled to herself.

"Julia, is it okay if I go out on the balcony to get some air?" she asked. Julia smiled. "Of course. You don't need to ask…" she said. "Well I'm under your rule and Rodney's rule right now…" she said, smiling and walking away. Julia sighed, and Cain looked at her. "Do you think I'll see you again?" he asked her, before he could stop himself. Cain squeezed his eyes shut, hoping he did not just ask that question.

"I suppose. Why do you ask?" Julia asked, looking at him. Cain slowly opened his eyes. Looks like he really did ask. "Well…you guys are…great people. I mean, its been…its been…" Cain paused and looked away. Julia smiled over at him while he wasn't looking. "Interesting?" she asked. "Yea. Interesting….right…" Cain said, still not looking at her.

Julia raised an eyebrow. "You alright, Cain?" Julia asked. Cain turned back to face her. "Yes…" he said, smiling for reassurance. Julia sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Cain froze for a second. The touch was unexpected. Cain slowly lifted his arm and placed it around her shoulders. "You know…Cain… you're a pretty…amazing person…" Julia said, hiding a smile. Cain looked down at her and smiled warmly. "So are you," he said, and the two sat in a comforting silence…

Rodney pushed open the one door and let Glitch and Aiden step inside. "I'll be right back you guys. I'm going to get Aiden more blankets. It's rather chilly for its first day being back…" Rodney said, heading back down the hallway. She was about to pass through the room where she was before, but she stopped. She saw Julia asleep on Cain's shoulder, and Cain's chin was ontop of her head; he too was asleep. His arm was around her shoulders, and they looked snuggled against each other.

"Okay…" Rodney muttered to herself, tiptoeing back out. She ran into one of the empty rooms and took of the top blanket, and headed back towards Aiden's room. She avoided the urge to giggle as she passed by Julia and Cain again. Rodney heard Aiden's laughs coming from down the hall. She tilted her head and slowly crept up towards the door. She saw Glitch pulling the covers up against Aiden, making silly faces as he did. Aiden continued to laugh.

Rodney almost felt tears coming to her eyes. The sight of Glitch tucking in Aiden seemed so sweet to her. She smiled as Glitch kissed Aiden's forehead. Rodney felt her stomach get butterflies, and her throat started to swell. She leaned against the doorframe to keep herself standing. She began to breathe deeper as the seconds passed. She was falling in love with Glitch, and she knew it. Glitch turned and smiled at her. "Look. Mommy Rodney has got you your other blanket…" he said. Rodney smiled and walked in, and handed it to Glitch.

"Hey Aiden! Now you see me…" he paused to cover his head. "Now you don't!" he said.

Aiden giggled. "Hmm. Where has Aiden gone?" Glitch asked. Aiden giggled again and pulled the blanket off of Glitch's head. "Ah! There he is!" Glitch said. Aiden sat up and hugged Glitch. "I love you Mr. Zipper…" he said. Glitch smiled down at the small boy as he hugged him back. "I love you too Aiden. You're awesome…" Glitch said.

Rodney felt a tear slide down her cheek, but she didn't even bother wiping it away. The sight of Aiden and Glitch was just too sweet for her. Glitch turned to look at her and his face softened. He put his hand on the side of her face and wiped away the tear with his thumb. She smiled at his soft touch. Glitch pressed his forehead against hers and they both closed their eyes. For the first time in awhile, the three felt like a family again…


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning Julia felt the sun wash over her face and she groaned and turned her face. She heard another groan and she froze. She lifted her head up to see Cain next to her. She took her one hand off his chest. As she shifted Cain woke up, and took his arm off of her shoulders. "Julia?" Cain asked. "Cain…I'm sorry…" she said. "No it's alright…" Cain said. "I guess we must of fallen asleep…" Julia said, laughing nervously. "Yea, looks like it…" Cain said. He looked down at the floor and picked up his hat.

He placed it on his head and gave her a small smile. She returned it, before attempting to stand up. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rodney come in with Glitch, Aiden and Azkadellia. Julia realized her legs were asleep and she fell to the floor. "Nice one sis," Rodney spoke up. "Thank you, Rodney. I'm fine…" Julia said, rolling her eyes.

She looked up at Cain. "I might advise that you not stand up right away…" she said. "That's funny. I was thinking the same thing…" Cain said, fighting another chuckle. She narrowed her eyes up at him. "Hey, don't give me that look. I didn't make you fall…." Cain said, finally standing up. He stretched his arms over his head. "How's the view from down there?" he asked.

Rodney began to chuckle and Cain shot her a look. "Sorry. You don't know how wrong that sounded…." She giggled. Cain rolled his eyes and held a hand out to Julia. "Here…" he said. She smiled. "Oh why thank you, tin man…" she said in a mocking tone. She took his hand and he helped her up. "So, what do you guys want to do today?" Azkadellia asked.

Glitch smiled over at Rodney and she began to giggle again. Azkadellia gave her a look. Rodney looked over at her. "Sorry. I'm just extremely giddy today. Must be the feeling of home…" Rodney said. Julia looked at Cain. "Or it must be something else…" Julia muttered, and Cain smiled and held back a laugh. "What was that?" Rodney asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing. Nothing…" Julia said, walking away.

Almost all day the group had been having fun talks, and even let the childish side of them take over by playing hide and seek. The two guys were finding the girls and Aiden. Glitch had already found Azkadellia. He and Cain split and too opposite sides of the room. Rodney was hiding in between the green sofa and the wall. Julia was hiding behind the one pillar. Everytime one of them would walk by, she would shift around. Julia heard Cain walking by.

She began to move around the pillar until she heard his footsteps stop and she froze. She turned her head to the one side, and at that moment Cain stepped from behind the pillar. His faces inches from hers. "Found you…" he said. "Um…no you didn't…" Julia said, shifting around the pillar. Cain raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I surely must have been mistaken. Julia has a mysterious twin…" he said. He smiled and quickly moved around the pillar and stopped infront of Julia, and held her by her arms against the pillar.

"Now I found you…" he said with a triumphant smirk.

Glitch looked around the room. "Julia you know where Rodney is?" he asked. "Yes," Julia replied, still looking at Cain. "Where is she?" Glitch asked. "Not telling…" Julia said, heat rising in her cheeks. Glitch groaned. "You…gonna let me go?" Julia asked. "No," Cain played. Julia raised an eyebrow in challenge. Cain smiled and then took his hands off of her.

They both turned to watch Glitch. Glitch began to move around the room. He heard Rodney giggle and he spun around in all directions. "Where are ya, Rodney?" he asked. "Hiding…" Rodney spoke up. "Where?" Glitch called. "Um…I don't know. It's kind of dark…" Rodney said, laughing slightly. Glitch looked over towards Julia and Cain. Julia pointed towards the couch. Glitch grinned and walked towards it.

He peered behind it. "There you are!" he said. He lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. "How did you find me?" she asked. "I'm a psychic…" Glitch said. "Julia told him…" Cain spoke up. Julia turned and hit Cain in his shoulder. "Ow…" Cain said, giving her a confused look. Rodney glared at her. Glitch dropped her on the couch, and Rodney stood up.

"Time to kill Julia…" she said, cracking her knuckles. Julia hid behind Cain. "What are you doing?" Cain asked her. "You're going to protect me from the scary sister walking towards me…" Julia said, throwing in a fake whimper. Cain took a look at Rodney, and then over his shoulder at Julia. He stepped aside and pushed her infront of him. "Some hero you are…" Julia said.

Aiden came running in the room. "Aiden you are supposed to be hiding…" Glitch said, tilting his head. "I was…but there are men on big horses outside…" Aiden said. The group turned to look at him. "Men on horses?" Julia asked. "Are they longcoats, Aiden?" Rodney asked. "No. They are good guys. They are riding white horses…" Aiden said.

Cain furrowed his brows. "So you told him that good guys ride white horses?" Cain asked. "It may have come up in a fairy tale story…" Julia said, with a shrug. "Alright….let's go see the good guys…" Rodney said, picking Aiden up. Aiden giggled. Cain walked next to Julia. "Good guys can ride black horses too…" he spoke up. "Yea, the not normal ones…" Julia retorted.

Cain resisted the urge to smile. "So if I showed up riding a black horse I'd be a bad guy?" Cain asked. "Drop it…" Rodney spoke up. Julia and Cain gave each other a side look, before turning away.

The group walked outside to see about five men riding horses. They were obviously royalty. "Good morning to you Princess Julia, Princess Rodney and friends. I am King Ronald Fritz of the Abrah kingdom. I heard of your return and wanted to personally get to meet you…" the plump man spoke up. He slid off his horse, and walked up to the group.

He took Rodney's hand first, after she set Aiden down. "You must be the lovely younger princess Rodney. My god, aren't you beautiful…" he said with a wide smile. Rodney chuckled nervously and Glitch glared at King Ronald. "Ah, you are Mr. Glitch from Queen Lavender Eyes and King Ahamo's kingdom are you not?" King Ronald spoke up, ignoring Glitch's glare.

"Yes, that's me…" he said. "Good, and here is Azkadellia! Delighted to meet you. Ah, a small boy. Hello there! Mr. Wyatt Cain, the tin man…" King Ronald said, shaking hands with each person. He turned to Julia. "You…are Princess Julia. The eldest sister…" he said. "Yes…" Julia replied. "Your mother told me that you both were beautiful but my goodness, you're stunning!" King Ronald said, clapping his hands together.

"Yea…okay…" Rodney said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Glitch. "Allow me to introduce my son, Prince Paxton Fritz….come my dear boy…" the King said. A boy who looked not a day over thirty jumped off the horse. He had messy blonde hair and green eyes, his jaw was firm. He stood at about 5'10. He made his way towards Julia.

"Princess Julia…" he said, taking her hand. "You are going to make a lovely bride…" he said, kissing it. Rodney looked over at Julia. "A what?" Rodney spoke up. "Paxton my boy; let us not jump to it just yet…." King Ronald said with a hearty laugh. Julia tilted her head. "What does he mean by 'bride', and since when am I becoming one?" Julia asked.

The King sighed. "Is there a better place to discuss this? They say the woods have ears…." He said. "Yea, and the wind has eyes…" Rodney muttered. Julia closed her eyes to ignore her sister's comment, which the King obviously didn't hear because of the stupid grin plastered on his face. "Fine…come inside…" Julia said, forcing a smile.


	21. Chapter 21

"My mother said….what?" Julia asked, looking up at the king from her spot on the couch. "Yes, you're mother wrote me a letter…." The king said, handing it to her. Julia's eyes scanned the letter. "Upon my death, and destruction of our kingdom…if my daughters ever return it is my wish for my oldest daughter Julia to marry the oldest son of the Abrah Kingdom, Paxton Fritz. Together they will have conjoint rule…." Julia paused and held up the letter.

"It's her signature…" Julia said, looking at Rodney. "Yes it is. So shall we say the wedding be in a few months then? Plenty of time to prepare. Why don't we let the bride and groom to be get some time to know each other, ah? Come now…" he said, ushering the others out of the room. Rodney and Glitch shot a worried look at Julia, before walking out.

Cain stood up and looked at Julia for a few seconds. "Come on Tin Man…" the king said, putting his arm around his shoulders and steering Cain out of the room.

Paxton shifted over and sat next to Julia. "You seem…uncomfortable…" he said. Julia turned to look at him. "Well…yea. I'm kind of….I don't even know. I don't think my mother would…I just don't…" she paused. Paxton smiled. "We can get to know each other, you know? Spend some time together…" Paxton said, sliding his hand onto Julia's thigh.

Julia stood up. "Um….I need air. Be right back…" Julia said, walking away. She walked down the hall and pushed open the balcony doors that looked over the lands. She rested her hands on the balcony, and then began pacing. "Okay…oh….okay. Calm down…calm…oh geez…" Julia said, squatting down. She heard the door open. "Julz?" came the voice of Rodney.

"Hmmm?" Julia grunted. "You…okay?" Rodney asked, slowly approaching her sister. Julia began to laugh and Rodney tilted her head slightly. "Did you hear that? I have to get married. The whole gig. I've gotta wear a white dress and…and…the flowers…the ball before the wedding….the wedding parties…" Julia said, before laughing again.

She paused and looked down at the ground. "It feels too soon…" Julia said, her face getting serious. "Yea. Wasn't exactly the welcome I was looking for. Wasn't expecting a welcome anyway but…" she stopped when she saw a few tears come from Julia's eyes. "Julia?" she asked. "I don't even know this guy, and I have to marry him? I can't just fall in love like that…" Julia trailed, before biting her lip.

Rodney sighed, and sat next to her sister. "What do you want to do?" she asked. Julia shrugged. "I don't really have any options Rodney…" Julia said, looking away. Rodney stood up. "I'll give you some time to think…" she said, walking off the balcony. Julia stared out into space. She felt as if everything was now in slow motion. "Why?" she asked, even though no one was there.

"Mom, why would you make me do this?" she asked, before laying down on the balcony.

Rodney walked into the room where everyone else was. "Is she alright?" King Ronald asked, with his creepy grin. "Its a lot for her to handle…" Rodney said. Cain turned to face her. "I'll go talk to her," he suggested. "No, allow me. Perfect time for me to get to know her…" Paxton said, standing up. "Aren't you the reason she left in the first place?" Cain asked. Paxton shot Cain a look, before faking a smile.

"I guess I moved too fast. Don't worry, tin man, I won't kill her or anything…" he said, walking towards Cain. A glare was shared between the two, before Paxton walked by. Cain gritted his teeth and glared at the floor. Rodney raised her eyebrow. Cain seemed very protective. The King smiled. "Well, this is…well its just….ah, so Princess Rodney have you found yourself a suitor?" he asked, sitting down. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs.

"Yes…" she said. The King tilted his head. "Good for you. The suitor is extremely lucky. You are such a beautiful girl…" he said. Rodney raised her eyebrows and laughed nervously, and looked at Azkadellia. "Thanks…" she said, although it was more like a question. "You are most certainly welcome. Be sure to save me a dance at the wedding ball. It would be a huge honor…" he said, with a knowing smile.

"Yea…okay…" she said. She shifted uncomfortably. Glitch reached over and squeezed her hand. The King frowned slightly. "So…this is the suitor?" he asked. "Yes. Why do you sound disappointed?" Rodney asked. "I'm not…but…I never expected…." The King stuttered. Glitch straightened his back. "Are you saying I'm pathetic or something?" Glitch asked.

"No, no…not at all my dear boy…" The King said, chuckling. Rodney and Glitch looked at each other. "It's just…normally… a princess would be with a prince…or…a king…" he said, flashing Rodney a flirtatious smile. "I'm not exactly what you call a normal princess am I? I did live in a cave for eight years, and I fight like a warrior…instead of sewing…." Rodney trailed.

"Hmmm. An adventurous woman! I love it!" he said, grinning more. Rodney realized that nothing she said would make him stop hitting on her. "Yea, well I love it more. Did you know that when the light touches her eyes they change color? Or that she has a smile when she's uncomfortable and a smile when she really means it?" Glitch asked. Rodney squeezed his hand tighter, and Glitch looked at her.

She smiled up at him, and he returned it. The King sighed. "I did not, but now I do….and I look forward to getting to know you better…every detail…." He said, his eyes overlooking her. Rodney shivered slightly.

The King smiled, and looked at Cain. His smile faded. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. Cain looked up at him. "Nothing…" he said, before looking away. "Awww, come on. Something is bothering you my boy…do share…" the King said. Cain gave him a look. "Okay. I see we need to get to understand each other. First of all, don't call me 'boy'. Second of all, if something is bothering me why do I need to tell you?" Cain questioned.

The King sighed. "I've heard that you were stubborn, Cain. I guess the tin suit really does affect people…." The king said, looking away. Cain squared his jaw, and closed his eyes. He wouldn't let this idiotic King get to him.

There was the sound of footsteps, and the group looked up to see Julia and Paxton walking back. Her arm was laced through his. Even though the King and Paxton couldn't see it, the rest of the group could sense how uncomfortable Julia looked. Even Aiden.

Aiden walked over to her. "Mommy, why do you look sad?" he asked her. Julia forced a smile. "Oh, Aiden. I'm not sad….why would you think I'm sad?" she asked. "You weren't smiling…" he said. Julia sighed. "Mommy is just tired…" Julia said, running a hand over his hair. Cain looked up. "I'll walk you back to your room…" he suggested. "No, allow me. After all…I'll be doing it for the rest of our lives…." Paxton said.

"No, Paxton its okay. I want to get to know you better. We are going to be in-laws after all…" Rodney said, walking over to Paxton and putting a hand on his shoulder. Julia slid her arm out from Paxton's and laced her other arm through Cain's. A look passed between Paxton and Cain, as Cain led her down the hall.

Paxton scoffed. "Who is that guy?" he asked.

"Wyatt Cain, he is a tin man…" the King said. "Oh, I should of known…with that attitude…" Paxton said, with a sigh. "So Paxton…any questions about Julia?" Rodney asked. Paxton shrugged. "Not really. She's blonde and she is a princess. Sounds good to me…" Paxton said, before sitting next to his father. Rodney bit her lip, before looking at the two sitting on the couch.

This was going to be their new family? So far all she saw was a horny ass king, and a jerk of a son. Oh yea, this wasn't gonna happen without some conflicts…

Julia and Cain continued to walk down the hallway. Julia sighed and slid her arm out from Cain's. "Thanks Cain…I'll….I'll be fine now…" she said. Cain looked at her. "You sure?" he asked. "Yea…thanks…" she said. She went to walk towards her room. Cain watched her walk, before turning around. He heard Julia sigh, and turned to see her knees give out.

Cain moved swiftly and caught her, before she hit the ground. "I don't think you're fine…" Cain said, helping her to stand up. "I just felt dizzy. Lack of sleep I guess. Didn't exactly sleep on a soft bed last night…" she said, smiling slightly. Cain raised an eyebrow. "So you saying I was hard?" Cain asked. "I didn't say that. You were comfortable….muscular actually. It's nice to have a shoulder to sleep on sometimes, but beds are good too…" she said. Cain smiled slightly and she blushed.

"Can you pretend that the past minute I spent talking never happened?" she asked. Cain shrugged. "Can't imagine what you're like when you get drunk…" he said, steadying her. They were about four inches apart. "I hope you never have to see me like that. I can get messy. Rodney can too…" Julia said, smiling slightly. "I'm sure I could handle it…" Cain said, feeling short of breath.

"I think I need sleep…" Julia said. "I'm sorry I wasn't the best pillow…" Cain said. Julia smiled. "I thought that conversation never happened…" Julia said. Cain rolled his eyes. "Oh right….what was I talking about?" Cain asked. They shared a smile, and Cain's face softened. "Julia, are you going to be okay with marrying this guy?" he asked.

Julia looked away for a second. "No, I'm not…but it's what my mother wanted…" Julia said. "I don't think your mother would want you doing something that makes you uncomfortable…" Cain said. Julia looked into his eyes for a second. "The world is full of uncomfortable things. Obstacles to see how we handle life…" she said.

"There are always ways around those obstacles…" Cain said. Julia shook her head. "No. Not this one," she said, looking away.

"Ah, there you are…" came Paxton's voice. Julia turned around to see him walking towards her. She put on a smile. "I'm alittle sleepy…" she said. "She doesn't exactly feel well…" Cain added. Paxton held her chin for a second. "She looks fine, but if you want to sleep…go ahead…you'll need all your energy…" Paxton said. He leaned in, as if to kiss her.

"Whoa…" Julia said, backing away. She felt her back touch Cain's chest. Paxton sighed. "I'm sorry my dear…" he said. She turned and disappeared into her room. Paxton turned to look at Cain, at the same time Cain looked at him. Both of their smiles disappeared and they gave each other cold looks. "They are probably waiting for us in the room…" Cain spoke up.

"Probably…" Paxton said. They shared a glare again. Cain put on a fake smile and held out his arm. "After you…" he said. Paxton turned away. "Your highness…" Cain said, mockingly. Paxton turned around and gave Cain a look. Cain shrugged. "What?" he asked. Paxton shook his head and headed down the hallway. Cain smiled to himself. He was going to tear this guy apart…


	22. Chapter 22

Rodney looked up to see Cain and Paxton walking in. "Julia okay?" she asked. "She's sleeping…" Cain said, at the same time Paxton said "She'll be fine…"

The King raised his eyebrows. "That was rather odd…" he said. Azkadellia and Rodney shared a look. "It happens…" Azkadellia said. Rodney looked over at Cain. "Cain, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked. Cain nodded, and they walked towards the door. "Az, could you please get them some water? Glitch, you come with me and Cain…" Rodney said.

"Sure…" Azkadellia said, walking away. Glitch followed Rodney and Cain out the door. Rodney smiled politely at Paxton and the King before shutting the door. She turned to look at Cain and Glitch. "Okay, so we've got a creepy father-in-law who….is creepy. Then we have the son who is at least attractive, but is a total jerk…" Rodney said.

"Why? Did he say anything when I was gone?" Cain asked, standing up straight. "I asked him if he wanted to know anything about Julia….to get to know her. He told me that 'she's blonde and she is a princess' and that's all he needed to know…" Rodney said. Cain looked away for a second. "He say something to you?" Rodney asked.

Cain sighed. "He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would take care of her…that's all…." He finally said. Rodney and Glitch looked at each other, before looking back at Cain. He looked up at them. "What?" he asked. Rodney sighed. "Well, I'm going to cook us all something for dinner. I need help figuring out a reason to get them away. I don't need that….ugh…near me at dinner. I might throw it all up…." Rodney said, shuddering. Cain smiled. "I'll tell them something…" he said. Rodney gave him a look. "No," she stated simply.

Glitch looked at her. "What are you going to tell them?" he asked. Rodney sighed, and walked back in the room before replying. Cain and Glitch exchanged looks. "That…didn't really tell us anything…" Cain muttered. Glitch shrugged. "As long as they are gone…" Glitch said. They filed through the door after Rodney, Glitch first.

Before Rodney could speak up, the king stood up. "Well its about time Paxton and I headed home. Lot's of planning to do for the wedding, in three months time. My wife would love to help out…" he said. Rodney sighed in relief. He walked up to her and gave her a wet kiss on the cheek. She shivered slightly. "See you later princess Rodney. Give my best to princess Julia…" he said. Rodney forced a smile.

She watched as the King and Paxton exited the castle. Glitch stood on one side of Rodney. "What….a creep…." Glitch stated. "I know, right?" Rodney agreed.

It had been a week since The King and Paxton had come to visit the sisters. They now had a kitchen staff and maids, whom were travelers who were delighted to have the job off working at a castle. DG and Jeb had come back for a few visits. Cain and Glitch still remained at the castle, trying to help with whatever they could. Rodney and Glitch were often seen holding hands, and walking through the halls.

Julia and Cain would either be chasing each other through the vineyards, or talking and laughing in the common room. Aiden was settling in very well. He found the suits of armor fascinating and would often be seen with Glitch and Rodney, sometimes Julia and Cain. Glitch and Rodney grew closer, if possible. Julia and Cain seemed to be getting closer each day.

The five of them sat in the common room the next morning. Julia was curled up on the couch and was sleeping, or at least trying to. Cain was sitting on the floor, leaning his back on the couch that she was on. Rodney and Glitch were sitting on the loveseat across from them, Aiden sitting on Rodney's lap. "Is Azkadellia coming?" Aiden asked. "Azkadellia is probably still sleeping, Aiden. She is probably tired after playing tag with you…" Rodney said. Aiden sighed. "But…I want to play with Azzie…" he said, sounding sad.

"Isn't that King and Paxton coming today?" Glitch asked. "Don't remind me…" Julia spoke up, her eyes still shut. Cain smiled slightly. "Is he seriously going to be living here until the wedding?" Glitch asked. "Yes, unfortunately he is…" Rodney said, rolling her eyes. "Can we discuss something else?" Julia said, opening her eyes but still laying down.

"Sure, like how you shouldn't marry this guy?" Rodney suggested. "I don't have a choice Rodney. Besides, a princess has to marry someone to be Queen anyway…" Julia said. Cain turned his head slightly to look at her. "So why marry someone you don't love instead of waiting for the right person?" Cain suggested. It seemed as though her eyes refused to meet his.

"We've discussed this, it's my mother's wish. She protected us from death, so I should respect what she wants…" Julia said, finally looking at him. Cain turned away, and looked at the ground. There was an awkward silence. A maid walked in the room. "There is a young prince here, shall I take his luggage to the guest room we've prepared?" she asked. Rodney turned to face her. "Not alone….get some help…" Rodney said, and the maid nodded.

Julia sat up. "Guess I should greet my new fiancé…" Julia said. "No, let him come to you…" Rodney said. "Why?" Julia asked. "Just curious…" Rodney said, with a shrug. Julia leaned back on the couch and sighed. "Okay, whatever you say…" she said. She turned to look at Rodney. "Why you making me do this again?" she asked. "I just want to see something…" Rodney said. A few minutes later, Paxton appeared in the doorway. "Where is my ravishing bride-to-be?" Paxton asked. Julia looked over at Rodney and then stood up. "Ah, here she is. It's great to see you Princess Lily…" he said, with a smile.

Julia's smile faded. "It's Julia…" she said. "Oh, right. I knew it was, I've just been up all night hunting…" he said, with a wide smile. He walked up to Julia and kissed her cheek. He held out his arm. "Let us go for a walk shall we? Give me a tour?" he asked. Julia shrugged and took his arm. "Sure…" she said. They disappeared down the hallway.

"That guy smiles too much…" Rodney said, rolling her eyes. "He intimidates me…" Glitch spoke up. Cain chuckled slightly, before starting to laugh. Rodney and Glitch looked at him questionably. "What's so funny about that, Cain?" Glitch asked. "That's not what's funny. It's the fact that he made an idiot of himself. He came in walking in all tough and proud, and then when he got Julia's name wrong he acted like it was no big deal…but he probably felt like an idiot…" Cain said, before laughing again.

"How is that funny? That's kind of messed up…" Rodney said, looking over at Glitch. "Because…" Cain paused to sigh. "Never mind…" Cain said, turning away. "Let's go spy on them, make sure he doesn't try anything…" Rodney said, standing up. Aiden stood up and quietly slipped past the group, and walked away. Glitch looked around. "Where did Aiden go?" Glitch asked. "Probably to Azkadellia's room, hope he doesn't scare her…" Cain suggested, with a small smile.

The three walked down the hallway that Julia and Paxton disappeared down….


	23. Chapter 23

Julia and Paxton walked through the halls, in an awkward silence. "You know, Julia…once we are married…we are going to have to pick a palace to stay at. That, or we could rule from two separate places but for image reasons we should live together…" Paxton spoke up. "I understand…." Julia said, but seemed distant. "Our castle has a spectacular view of the ocean, especially at sunset. We have waterfalls, vineyards, and spacious grounds…very much like yours but its tradition that the king invites the queen into his kingdom…your sister can rule here…" he said, with a tight smile.

"That's an issue we will discuss as we get closer to the wedding…" Julia said, looking at the floor. "You always see so tense my dear, am I making you nervous or something? I hope…" she said, his smile widening. She turned to face him. "Do I really seem tense? No, I'm not at all. I'm just…exhausted from everything…" Julia said, faking a smile.

"Ah, I see. The Tin Man and the Zipperhead keeping you and your sister up all hours?" he asked. "No, why would you think that?" Julia asked. "So how did you meet them? How'd you get the boy? Is he your son?" Paxton questioned. "We met Cain, Glitch, Cain's son, DG and Azkadellia on one of their travels. Aiden is a boy we rescued from a village attack…" Julia said with a sigh.

"You and your sister are extremely kind and generous," Paxton said, sounding bored. Before Julia could reply, Aiden ran over to her.

Rodney peered her head out from around the corner, Glitch's head looked above hers, and Cain's above his. Rodney watched as Aiden walked over towards Julia and Paxton. "This feels wrong…" Cain spoke up. "Yet strangely addicting…" Rodney said, with a small mischievous smile. Aiden tugged on Julia's pant leg and she looked down at him. "Hi Aiden…where is Rodney?" she asked. Aiden turned and stared up at Paxton.

"What's Aiden doing?" Glitch questioned. Aiden continued to stare blankly at Paxton. "Hello…" he paused to look at Julia. "Aiden," Julia replied to his blank look. "Aiden…right. You seem like a nice little boy. You like to run around the woods? Maybe you could come hunting with me," Paxton said with a smile.

"Um, no he can't…" Rodney muttered. "Shhh!" Cain hushed. Rodney narrowed her eyes, still staring forward. She now owed Cain a punch in the arm. Aiden continued to look at Paxton. "What you say, Aid? Can I call you Aid?" Paxton asked. "No," Aiden finally spoke up. Paxton raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Okay…." He said. "Denied…." Rodney said with a wicked smile.

Cain smiled. He loved how Paxton's ego was already getting destroyed by a five year old boy. "So, Aiden….do you like to-"

"I don't like you," Aiden, cut Paxton off. Paxton's raised his eyebrows and his expression changed to a shocked one. Cain looked down to see Rodney shaking, and holding her stomach. Tears were squeezing out from her eyes that were squeezed shut. He looked down at Glitch, who was also snickering lightly. "It's not that funny…" Cain said, trying to hold in his laughs himself.

"Aiden…" Julia said, her eyes widening slightly. Aiden scrunched his face up. "That's no way to talk to your future father…" Julia said. She paused. The words sounded completely different than she thought they would. It sounded too weird and too unnatural to say. Aiden raised up his foot and stomped on Paxton's toes.

"Oh Geez…" Cain said, turning away to hide his chuckles. Rodney began to laugh so hard, that she fell over and out into the opening. Cain quickly suppressed his laughter, and yanked Rodney up and behind the wall again. She turned and buried her face in Glitch's shoulder and began laughing again. "Oh, I love that boy…" Rodney said.

Aiden stuck his tongue out at Paxton, who was holding his foot, his other hand on Julia's shoulder for support. Aiden turned and hurried down the hallway. "I'm really sorry, Paxton. He's never been like that…" Julia said, apologetically and laughing on the inside. "Aw, it's no problem. He's just a small boy. He must not be used to having a new man in his life after all these years. I assume he acted the same around the Tin Man and the Zipperhead?" Paxton asked, setting his foot down.

"You mean Cain and Glitch?" Julia spoke up. Paxton gave her a look that she could of swore resembled a glare. As if he didn't like to be interrupted. "Something like that…." Julia lied. "Here, I'll go…scold him…you sit here…." Julia said, walking down the hall. She walked past one hallway and heard some snickering. She stepped back to see Cain, Glitch, and Rodney all trying to hide their laughs.

She stepped infront of them. "Which one of you did it?" she asked. "What? No one made him do it…" Cain spoke up. Julia stepped directly infront of him. "You expect me to believe that? It was you wasn't it?" Julia questioned, narrowing her eyes. "What? No it wasn't me…" Cain said, shaking his head. They both stared at each other for a second, before Cain started laughing again.

Julia couldn't help but smile now. "See? Even you think its funny…." Cain said, pointing at her. Julia looked over at Rodney, who was turning red. "Well if you see Aiden, tell him to come see me…" Julia said. "Don't yell at him. That kid is a hero now…" Rodney said. Julia stopped to look at her. "I'm not. I'm gonna give him a treat…" Julia said, disappearing around the corner.

"Does she know she went the wrong way to go find Aiden?" Glitch asked.

The next day Julia and Rodney walked through the halls. "So, what did you and Paxton talk about yesterday?" she asked. "How he wants me to go live with him at his kingdom with him when we are married, and about how you could rule the kingdom here…" Julia said, still looking forward. Rodney turned to look at her sister. "I don't want to do this without you," she whined slightly. Julia shrugged. "You'll be fine…" she said, looking down at the ground.

"Hold it…" Rodney said. She stepped infront of Julia. "You don't want this, do you?" Rodney asked. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm okay with this. If I weren't why would I have said 'yes'?" Julia asked, with a smile. "Okay, you may have Paxton and his weird father fooled…but I'm your sister. I can tell when your faking a smile or when you seriously mean it," Rodney said, with a motherly tone.

Julia stared at Rodney for a second. "Look Rodney, don't…I made a choice and if I keep listening to your speeches I'm going to end up changing my mind," Julia said, attempting to walk past her sister. Rodney simply sidestepped and blocked Julia's way. "Well I don't want to hear you complaining about it once you're married, and go on about how you don't love Paxton…" Rodney said.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Please, like were still gonna talk after I get married?" Julia asked. Rodney's face fell slightly. "Won't we?" she asked. Julia let a playful smile cross her face. Rodney shoved her slightly. "Don't do that!" she said, trying not to laugh. "I got you good…" Julia said, still smiling. There were the sound of footsteps as Cain and Glitch approached.

"What are you two girls up to?" Glitch asked happily. Julia and Rodney exchanged a look, before looking back at the boys again. Rodney shrugged. "Just talking…" she said. "Thinking about walking outside…" Julia said. "Really, where do you want to walk to?" Rodney asked. "No. Alone…" Julia said, and Rodney frowned slightly. "But…but…" Rodney started.

"No buts….maybe I'll go for a horseback ride…" Julia said, with a shrug. Glitch put his arm around Rodney's shoulders. "What do you say we go for a walk together?" Glitch asked. "Sure," Rodney agreed, her tone pleasant again. "Cain, want to come?" Glitch asked. "No thanks. I've got some things on my mind…" he said, shaking his head. "Things? What kind of things? How you plan to catch your next convict?" Julia asked, walking past him.

"Doesn't hurt to plan…" Cain said with a smile, watching her walk by. He heard her chuckle slightly before she disappeared around the corner. Cain turned to look at Rodney and Glitch again. "Well, I guess we will see you later then?" Glitch asked. "Probably," Cain replied. "Alright. See ya…" Glitch said, taking Rodney's hand in his before showing her a small smile and walking out of the room.

Cain sighed, and began to walk down the hallway. He had some new feelings on his mind that he needed to think about…


	24. Chapter 24

Julia took her white horse out of the stables. "I missed you girl…" she said, with a small smile. She began to ride it through the woods. She needed to get out of the castle. She had a few mixed feelings on her mind. Maybe it was being back home. Maybe it was the arranged marriage. Maybe it was jealousy at seeing her sister be with someone that her sister had fallen in love with.

Regardless, she knew that there was something else there that was bothering her. She slowed her horse to a simple walk. For some reason, Cain was on her mind. She had absolutely no idea why. Of course Cain was a nice guy, he was attractive, and he was protective. Aiden liked him. Rodney didn't exactly have a problem with him. She shook her head. Thinking thoughts like these were too dangerous.

Her horse began to whine slightly, and she turned her attention back to her horse. "Lila?" she questioned. Her horse began to shift uncomfortably. "Lila, what's wrong?" she asked. Her horse whined again, before rearing up on its hind legs. Julia slid off the horse and fell on the hard ground. Lila took off into the deep woods. Julia groaned and sat up. "Thanks Lila. Thanks a bunch…" she said, standing up.

Rodney and Glitch walked through the garden. "Glitch, what's going to happen when you go back to your kingdom? Are we…still going to talk?" Rodney asked. Glitch looked over at her. "I won't ever go back if we can't…." he said. Rodney looked at him. "But…its your place Glitch…" Rodney said. "Not anymore its not…" Glitch said. "But…" Rodney started, but Glitch interrupted.

"Even before I became Glitch…when I still had the part of me that was Ambrose…I never got to feel love. It was always around me, and yet…I still didn't feel it. At least not in the way lovers have it. I did have the love of friends, and family…well…I don't remember my real family. But Lavender Eyes and Ahamo treated me like a brother so they were like my family. But now that I feel the love of someone…an amazing…beautiful…someone….I don't want to loose it…." Glitch said.

"Glitch, I don't want to take you away from the people who are like family to you…" Rodney said. "You don't need to take me away. I know that…I'll always have family wherever I go. I can always grow into a new family, and learn to love them. But…I can't just find a woman to love like I love you just anywhere…" Glitch said, holding both of her hands in his.

Rodney's eyes began to water slightly. Glitch smiled and looked to the side. He bent over and picked a handful of colorful flowers. "Some flowers for the fair lady?" he asked. He and Rodney shared a smile, before they both began to laugh.

Julia had been searching the woods for over an hour. She sighed. "I give up…" she muttered. She sat down on the small gray boulder next to her. "I lost my horse, have no idea where I am, and have a headache. Wonderful…" Julia said, crossing her legs and folding her arms. She sighed and wondered how long it would take before someone would realize she was still missing.

She heard a faint neigh, and turned her head to see Cain approaching and riding her horse. She uncrossed her legs and unfolded her arms. "Un…believable…" she muttered. She stood up as Cain steered Lilia towards her. "You stole my horse…" she said. Cain scoffed. "No I didn't. She was in the middle of the woods, eating ferns when I found her. You abandoned her…" Cain said, with a small smile.

"I did not…she got alittle excited and then she….why are you smiling about it? This is not funny," she said, getting slightly frustrated. She wondered why she had found him so attractive only an hour ago. "Maybe for you its not…" he said. He turned the horse slightly and extended his hand to her. She stared at it for a second. "So now you're being chivalrous?" she asked. Cain shrugged. "Unless you'd rather wait for Paxton to come rescue you. But…who would tell him?" Cain asked. Julia smiled. "You wouldn't…" she said. Cain returned the smile.

Julia took his hand and Cain lifted her up so she sat behind him. He shifted the horse slightly and Julia quickly wrapped her arms around his waist. She heard Cain chuckle again. "You're still finding this humorous…." Julia stated. "Oh. Very much so…" Cain replied. Julia rolled her eyes. "You know you're a real jerk for a knight in shining armor…" Julia stated. "I'm a cop. What do you expect?" he asked. He turned his head so he could give her a side look. She smiled at him slightly. "Well, you get credit for…helping me," she said. Cain turned away and smiled. "That's good…" he said, before snapping Lila's reins.

Rodney was sitting infront of the castle, sitting on a stone bench and reading a book. "Princess Rodney…." Came the voice of Paxton. Rodney looked up from her book and smiled slightly. She closed her book. "Hi," she said, politely. He took a seat next to her on the bench. "So…you're in love with the…." Paxton paused. "Glitch?" Rodney asked.

"Yea. Glitch…right…" Paxton said. "Why do you ask…or…state?" Rodney questioned. Paxton smiled slightly. "Just trying to understand my future sister-in-law better. After all we are going to be family," Paxton said. "Yes. Thank you for the reminder…" Rodney said, looking away. Paxton's smile faded. "Has your sister talked to you about the living situation once we are married?" Paxton asked.

"She has, but we haven't come to a conclusion about it yet…" Rodney said. "I see. Not ready to let go of your older sister? She do everything for you?" Paxton asked. Rodney gave Paxton a look. "Well, I'm going to miss her. It's hard loosing the only person left in your life since the beginning…" Rodney said. Paxton smiled. "I didn't mean to offend. But look on the bright side, you get to make all your own rules…" Paxton said, with a wink.

Rodney chuckled nervously. Paxton shifted closer to her. "You know, Julia and Cain spend a lot of time together…" Paxton trailed. "They have a lot in common. In the past, they've both lost someone they love…" Rodney said. "Well then, why aren't you close with the tin man as well?" Paxton asked. "He's someone I can talk to, but we aren't best friends. We just don't have a lot in common like Glitch and I do…" Rodney stated.

"So…why would only Julia and Cain be so close?" Paxton asked. "I don't know. Why don't you talk to her about it?" Rodney asked. Paxton showed her a stiff smile. "You are…quite the stubborn one…." He said. "You have no idea…" Rodney said, looking away. "So…Julia ever-"

"If its about Julia and Cain, I don't want to hear about it. They are just friends and you have nothing to worry about…." Rodney said, rolling her eyes. There was the clomping of heels and Rodney turned to see Julia and Cain, riding together on Julia's horse. "How ironic…look at that…" Paxton muttered. Rodney sighed. "What? Never heard of two people sharing a horse before?" Rodney questioned.

"Only if they are a couple…" Paxton said, standing up. Cain dismounted, and looked at Paxton. Cain offered Julia a hand, but Paxton stepped over. "Please Cain…allow me…" Paxton said, shoving Cain slightly. Julia and Cain shared a look before Julia took Paxton's hand. He helped her slide off the horse. "You alright, my love?" Paxton asked.

"Fine…" Julia said, smiling slightly. "Where have you been for this past hour? I've been searching for my loving fiancé…" Paxton said, with a cocky smile. "I was riding my horse, as you can see. Then I was stuck there for an hour after my horse ran off. Then, Cain brought her back and…we came here…" Julia said, looking over at Cain.

Paxton turned to look at Cain. "Well, aren't we lucky that Mr. Cain was there to save you…what were you doing so far from the castle?" Paxton asked. Cain's expression hardened. "I was walking. Its something that I do…" Cain spoke up. "Walking? That all?" Paxton asked, squeezing Julia's hand tighter. "Ow. What are you doing?" Julia asked, pulling her hand away.

"I'm so sorry my dear…why don't you and your sister go inside and relax. I need to have a word with Cain…" Paxton said, looking over at him. Cain sighed and looked at the ground. "Paxton…" Julia said, warningly. Paxton showed her a reassuring smile. "I won't be long dear…" he said. Julia sighed. "I'll take her back to the stables for you…" Cain said, nodding over at Julia.

Julia smiled. "Thank You…Cain…for everything today…" she said. Cain returned the smile. Rodney rolled her eyes. "Come on Jul. Let's go find Azkadellia and have some girl talk…" she said, pulling Julia after her. Julia looked over at Rodney. "Girl talk?" she muttered. "It was the first thing that came out…" Rodney whispered.

Paxton turned to look at Cain. His face hardened. "What were you really doing so far from the castle, tin man? I bet you were just waiting for the perfect moment to come to the rescue…" Paxton said. "Yea, I was sitting out in a random spot in the middle of the woods….just waiting for the horse to come to me. You're right Paxton…" Cain said, looking over at him.

"I don't know how close you are to Julia or how you feel about one another…but…I plan on finding out…" Paxton said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Are you calling me a threat?" Cain asked, a small smile on his face. "Maybe so…but then again…why would Julia choose someone seventeen years older than her when she can have someone only seven years older than her?" Paxton asked, with a malicious smirk.

"Where would you get the crazy idea that I had more than a friends feeling for Julia?" Cain asked. "I'm a hunter Cain. I go on instinct, and my instinct tells me that you have a stronger feeling than a friend feeling for her. So, don't try to lie to me…" Paxton said, glaring at him. Cain sighed. "I'm a cop, Paxton. I go on instinct as well. My instinct tells me that you're not the perfect prince that everyone thinks you are and that you can't be trusted…" Cain said, sharing the glare.

Cain pulled the reins of the horse, and walked towards the stables. "My instincts tell me that you won't be here much longer, Cain…" Paxton said. He turned to look at the castle. "And if this stubbornness continues…neither will Princess Rodney or her precious Zipper freak…" Paxton said, gritting his teeth.

He turned to face the hedges. "Its time I arranged a meeting with my friends…" he muttered, before disappearing into the woods.


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning, Julia sat on the stone bench that was facing the woods. She could hear the soft, gentle running water from the large pool fountain that was next to her. She was writing down her thoughts in an empty book that she had found. She was finding it hard to believe that her the life she had known before, was slowly returning again.

Except this time would be different. She had no family, other than Rodney. She was about to marry a guy, who seemed like a great prince…but unsure of whether he would be the best husband. She had new friends, and an adopted son. "There you are…" came the voice of Rodney. Julia turned her head and looked over at her sister. "Yea…I'm here…" she said, smiling slightly.

"Not fully…" Rodney said, looking concerned. "Will you all stop acting like there is always something wrong with me?" Julia asked, rolling her eyes. "I'm not acting like something is wrong. I know something is wrong…" Rodney stated. Julia turned to look at her sister, and her watery blue eyes were full of concern. Julia smiled. "Don't give me that look….I know that look…" she said, turning back to her book.

Rodney leaned over slightly. "I am having confused feelings about this wedding, still wondering if it's the right choice….." Julia trailed. Julia paused and looked at her sister again. "Yea…nothing is wrong…" she said, rolling her eyes. "I feel like it is too soon. I mean, we just got back not too long ago. Why does the wedding have to happen so soon?" Julia asked, looking at the ground.

"It doesn't have to. You have a say for when it happens too. It shouldn't be just Paxton's choice…" Rodney pointed out. "I guess. But…I guess its best to get it over with now…" Julia said, with a sigh. "Would you just make up your mind? Do you want this wedding to happen or not?" Rodney asked, sounding impatient. Julia stared at the fountain. "Because honestly…they both kind of creep me out…" Rodney continued.

"Yea…for mom…." Julia said, seeming out of it. Footsteps were heard, and Rodney turned to see Cain with Glitch, Azkadellia and Aiden in her arms. "Hey guys…" she said to the group, but smiling at Glitch. Julia looked down at her book and began writing again. Cain raised an eyebrow and looked at Rodney. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

Julia beat Rodney to the reply. "You know, I'm right here. You could ask me if something is wrong…." She said, not looking up. Cain exchanged an odd look with Rodney, before walking behind the bench and standing on Julia's other side. Glitch stood next to Rodney. "How you feeling this morning?" he asked. Rodney smiled up at him. "Pretty good. How are you?" she asked. Glitch shrugged. "Can't complain. Paxton wouldn't stop asking me these questions about you…" Glitch said, looking slightly upset.

"Why?" Rodney asked. "Well, it was mostly about…how I felt about you…" Glitch said, blushing slightly. Rodney raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh?" she asked. Glitch nodded. "I told him that…you are very precious to me, and that I'd die protecting you if need be…" he said. Rodney smiled. "Glitch…that's so sweet…" she said. Glitch shrugged. "Cheesy…really…" he said.

Rodney shook her head. "It's not cheesy at all. It's cute…" she said, smiling. She turned to Azkadellia. "Aiden…are you making Azkadellia carry you around all day?" she asked. Azkadellia shrugged, and fixed her hold on Aiden. "It's no problem. He's a great kid…" she said, smiling at him. "Yea. I love Azzie…" he said, throwing his arms around her neck and pressing his cheek against hers.

"Honey, Azkadellia needs a break once in awhile…" Rodney said. Aiden sighed. "Can I get down, Azzie?" he asked. "Sure," she replied, lowering him to the ground. Rodney smiled as Aiden walked over to her. She lifted him onto her lap. "What are we doing today?" he asked. "I'm not sure yet Aiden…" Rodney replied.

Cain bent down slightly. "You writing in your little diary? Writing about your dream garden with all the ponies and rainbows?" he teased. Julia continued writing, and did not look up from her book. She lifted her one hand, and pushed Cain in the center of his chest. "Get away from me…jerk…" she growled. Cain stumbled back, as he fell backwards into the fountain. At the sound of the splash, Julia looked up.

She saw Cain stand up, his eyes angry. He plopped his wet hat back on his head. She tried to hide the smile as he trudged out of the fountain. "Ouch…" Glitch said. Rodney raised an eyebrow. "Nice one, sis…" she said. Cain stood directly infront of Julia, his knees touching hers. She looked up at him from her spot on the bench. She gave him an innocent smile. "Hi…" she said.

Cain continued to stare hard at her. Julia looked over at her sister, looking worried. Rodney looked up at Cain, who nodded towards Julia. Rodney smiled, and leaned over and took Julia's book and pen from her hand. "Rodney what are you doing?" she asked. Rodney closed the book. "Wouldn't want the pages to get soggy…" she stated, smiling slightly.

Julia looked confused. "Soggy?" she repeated. Rodney nodded. Julia looked up at Cain, who was smiling maliciously. "Oh no. Cain, don't you dare…" Julia said, in a warning tone. Cain bent over, and threw Julia over his shoulder. "Oh my God! Cain, are you kidding? Not in this dress, not in this dress!" Julia protested, struggling against Cain's hold.

She gave Rodney a helpless look. Rodney gave her a smile and a small wave. "Rodney! I'm so going to kill you when I….no Cain, don't do it!" Julia cried out. Cain stepped at the base of the fountain, before grabbing Julia on her hips, and throwing her in. Julia screamed slightly, before hitting the water. Cain smiled triumphantly, before turning back to the group. "Good hang time…" Rodney stated, impressed.

Julia resurfaced, gasping. She shot Cain a glare. "You…are so dead…" she said. She turned to Rodney. "Rodney, need a hug?" she asked, climbing out. "I'm good…" Rodney said, holding up her hands. "I insist…" Julia said, throwing her arms around her sister. "Ah! You're wet!" Rodney squealed. "That's the point…" Julia said, dragging Rodney towards the fountain.

Rodney began to kick her legs in protest. "Julia, I swear to God. If you take one more step towards that fountain…" Rodney warned. Julia wrapped her arms around Rodney's waist. She leaned backwards and both her and Rodney fell into the fountain. Aiden giggled, as he ran towards the fountain. Glitch followed him. "Here, Rodney…let me help you out of there…" he said, holding out his hand. Rodney smiled gratefully. She took Glitch's hand.

She started to stand up, but smiled. She pulled on Glitch's arm, and he fell in. Cain smiled, and began to laugh. Julia flipped the wet hair off of her face. "Oh Azkadellia…" Julia sang, with a mysterious smile. Azkadellia backed away slightly. "I'm good thanks…" she said, holding up her hands. Julia tilted her head. "Oh come on, Az…." She said, still smiling. "Ok….I'll get in myself…" Azkadellia said, her eyes watching Julia cautiously. She walked backwards towards the fountain, her eyes on Julia the whole time.

The back of her knees touched the base of the fountain. Julia watched as Rodney stood up, and seized Azkadellia around her waist, before pulling her in. Julia pointed and laughed. Aiden looked around. "Mr. Zipper, can you throw me in?" he asked. Glitch smiled at him. "Sure…" he said, climbing out. Rodney climbed out as well. "You want to swing in?" she asked him. Aiden nodded, excited.

Glitch hooked his hands under Aiden's arms, while Rodney grabbed his ankles. They began to swing him. "One…two…three!" the said. They tossed him softly, and he landed with a small splash. Rodney and Glitch looked at each other. The grabbed each other at the same time, trying to get the other one in. Glitch smiled, and leaned slightly to the right. He and Rodney both tumbled in.

Julia stood there and smiled at them. She loved how Rodney, Glitch and Aiden were like a small family. She watched them splash each other playfully. Maybe Rodney had fallen in love again after all. Julia's thoughts were interrupted as she felt someone slam into her side, and she fell into the fountain again. She surfaced, and saw Cain's face close to hers.

"Nice…tackle…" she said, coughing up some water. She noticed he wasn't wearing his hat anymore, and turned to see it on the bench, next to her diary. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned. "I'll be fine, but I know how you can make it up to me…" Julia said, smiling. "How?" Cain asked. Julia pushed down on Cain's head, dunking him. "All better…" she said, scurrying away.

She made her way towards Rodney, grinning. Rodney turned to face her. "No, you stay away…" she said. Julia gave her a playful look. "Aw, come on. I just want to talk to you…" she said, coming closer. "Yea, right. I know that look and you're my sister…you don't just want to talk…" Rodney said, moving so she was behind Glitch. Before Julia could make her move, she felt arms fasten around her waist and lift her up, before throwing her to the left.

Glitch smiled. "Nice one, Cain…" he said. Cain shrugged. "Payback is fun…" he said. He turned to see Julia moving swiftly towards him. They locked arms. "You turn to get wet…" Julia said. "No way. I've gone under enough…" Cain replied. "That last one was uncalled for…" she said, trying to turn. Rodney and Glitch looked at each other. Rodney dove and tackled Julia, while Glitch tackled Cain.

Aiden pointed and tug on Azkadellia's dress. "Look, they silly…" he said. Azkadellia nodded. "Yes, they are. I'm just going to stay over here…" she said, folding her arms and shivering slightly. Julia and Rodney began to wrestle, while Cain and Glitch wrestled. "Cain, I think we are losing!" Julia called over. "Since when are we on teams?" Cain asked, trying to fight off Glitch.

Rodney heard footsteps approach, and she turned to see Paxton with two maids. He raised his eyebrows questionably. "Are you all having fun?" he asked. Aiden nodded. "Yea!" he exclaimed. Paxton looked down at Aiden. "So I see…" he stated. He turned to look over at Julia and Rodney, who stood up. "Its not often that you see a princess, let alone…two of them splashing around in a fountain. With two other men. It may give others ideas…." Paxton said bluntly.

Julia looked over at her friends, before climbing out. "It was just a way to cool off…" she said, with a shrug. "Of course, dear one. Besides…you're way out of their leagues anyway…" Paxton said, before shooting a look over at the group. Although everyone could pretty much tell it was directed at Cain. Cain bit his lip, and folded his arms.

"Not even going to say it…" he muttered to Glitch and Rodney. Paxton turned to Julia. "Well, my love…we should get you changed…" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Um, I'm capable of getting myself changed…thanks…" she said. She walked over towards the bench and moved Cain's hat to the side and picked up her diary.


	26. Chapter 26

She looked at the group, before disappearing around the side of the castle wall. Paxton cleared his throat and looked over at Rodney. "Rodney…might I have a word?" he asked. Rodney held in a groan of disgust, as she walked towards him. "Yea?" she asked, not bothering to hide her impatience. "Your family's reputation is on the line as it is. I don't need you and your sister screwing around with it and making it worse…I'm already marrying a cave dweller and inviting you the other cave woman into my family. Don't mess it up by fooling around immaturely…" he said, his eyes showing malice.

"Reputation, what are you talking about?" Rodney asked. Paxton gave a fake smile to Cain, Glitch, Azkadellia and Aiden. "Come….let's go talk elsewhere…" he said, grabbing her arm tightly. He pulled her towards the side of the castle. "Ow. Let go of me!" Rodney protested. Paxton turned and stepped close to her, his faces inches from her own.

"Listen, little red. Everyone knows your alive….that's wonderful news. It wasn't so hot of news trying to get a proper story set as to where you were for the past eight years. Living in a cave makes it seem like you were hiding, and too afraid to return. Then suddenly eight years later when you meet some groupie travelers…you decide to return. It makes me look like I'm marrying a coward!" Paxton growled.

"You have no idea what we were going through," Rodney hissed. "That may be true, but its not exactly believable. Two little girls hiding because their mommy and daddy go bye bye's?" Paxton asked, with a smirk. Rodney glared at him, before spitting in his face. Paxton froze for a second, before wiping his face with his gloved hand. He turned and grabbed Rodney by her neck and held her against the marbled wall.

"You're really driving my patience…Rodney…" he growled. "What do you think you are doing?" she asked, grabbing onto his wrist. "I want to make this very clear. You will not tell Blondy, Zipperhead, or the Tin Man about this or else…" he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'll kill them all…" he said, before drawing back. He released his hold on her. "Make sure you do what I told you to do. If anything goes wrong with this wedding…or my image…I'm coming for you first…or maybe I should start with the Zipperhead…" Paxton said, with a hard stare.

Rodney returned the look. "Fine…but I hope my sister realizes how much of a jerk you really are and she will call off the wedding. She's smart, she'll be able to figure it out…" she said, with a snarl. Paxton smiled wickedly. "My dear soon to be sister, she has no way out of it…she's bound by her mother's signature…." Paxton said, his eyes showing a hidden laughter.

"Well, you never know. The paper may just one day…disappear…" Rodney said. Paxton stepped forward. "It better not…you probably won't even find it…" Paxton spat. There was the sound of soft footsteps, and they turned to see Julia. She looked confused. "What are you guys…doing?" she asked. Paxton stepped away from Rodney.

"Can't tell. Special surprise for the bride. Right, Rodney?" he asked, looking at her. Rodney nodded stiffly. "Yea…" she said. Paxton walked towards Julia and put his arm around her shoulders. "What do you say we go for a nice little romantic walk in the woods?" he asked. Julia nodded. "Okay…" she agreed. She looked over at Rodney.

"Rod, you okay?" Julia asked, concerned. "I'm fine…" Rodney lied, covering her wrist. "See? She's fine….come now…." Paxton said, steering Julia towards the woods. Julia shot her sister one last worried look, before walking away with Paxton. Rodney moved her sleeve and looked down to see her wrist was red, and slightly bruised. She walked back around the wall, and saw everyone sitting on the benches. Glitch stood up as she returned.

Glitch could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong. "Rodney…what's wrong?" Glitch asked. Rodney looked up at him. "Nothing is wrong…nothing at all…" she said, forcing a smile. Glitch smiled at her. "If something is wrong…you can just tell me…" he said. Rodney nodded. "I know…" she said, pulling her sleeve down more.

Cain looked over. "What's wrong with your wrist?" he asked. Rodney looked at him. "What do you mean? Nothing…" she said. Cain gave her a look, and nodded to Glitch. "Rodney…" Glitch said. Rodney sighed and lifted her hand slightly. Glitch softly pulled back her sleeve, and his eyes widened slightly. Cain stood up and walked over.

"What…happened?" Glitch asked. "You look bruised…" Cain stated simply. "Oh, this? I was walking around the corner and I almost slipped. Paxton grabbed my wrist and helped me to my feet. I would of snapped my neck if he didn't help me. He's a real hero…" Rodney said, with a fake smile. Cain and Glitch exchanged looks. "Guess he is…" Cain said, walking away.

"Where are you going?" Glitch called after him. "To dry my clothes…" Cain said, disappearing around the corner and into the castle. "Oh…right…we all probably should change. Although…I don't really mind it…" Glitch said, with a shrug. Rodney shrugged as well. "Me either. I like being wet anyway…" Rodney said, sitting down on a bench.

Glitch joined her. "So…what are you going to do after this unfortunate marriage?" Rodney asked. Glitch shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like I should go back with Lavender Eyes and Ahamo but… I won't be happy there…" Glitch said, looking at her. "Why?" she asked. Glitch looked at the ground. "I don't want you to be left alone again. You were alone for eight years…I don't want you to relive that…" Glitch said, looking at her again.

Rodney smiled and put a hand on the side of Glitch's face. "You are the sweetest person ever…" she said. They both leaned in, but a giggle stopped them. They both turned to see Aiden grinning up at them. "Mommy and Mr. Zipper are gonna kiss…" he said, sticking out his tongue. Rodney smiled. "I'm gonna get you…" she said. Aiden squealed and then took off running.

"Let's go get him…" Glitch said, standing up and offering Rodney a hand.


	27. Chapter 27

Later on that evening, Julia walked through the halls with her sister. "So, what happened on your walk?" Rodney questioned. "Nothing happened. We just talked about simple things…" Julia replied, looking at the ground. "Such as?" Rodney asked. "Mostly about his hunting trips. About how he single handedly defeated…a…I don't even remember what it was…" Julia said, looking at her.

"He ask anything about us?" Rodney asked, thinking about her and Paxton's last conversation. "No, not really. He just asked more stuff about how we met Cain and Glitch…and everyone else…" Julia said with a sigh. "So he loves to brag about everything that he has done but…he doesn't want to hear about what anyone else has done?" Rodney spat.

Julia stopped and looked at Rodney. "Where are you going with this? Why, did he say anything to you?" Julia asked. Rodney shook her head and averted her eyes. "No…he just talked to me about…wedding stuff…" Rodney said, with a reassuring smile. Before Julia could reply, footsteps approached. Glitch was walking down the hallway.

He smiled at them, before walking over to Rodney. He greeted her with a simple peck on the lips. "Hey…" she said, with a smile. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and she placed her hands on his forearms. "Hi…" she said, leaning back to look at him. Julia looked away for a moment, before looking back at the couple.

"Where is Cain?" Julia asked, folding her arms. Rodney and Glitch both looked over at her. "I mean...not like it really matters…just…you know. It's pretty late out now. He shouldn't be wandering around…" she paused to look at the smirking Rodney and Glitch. "Alone…." Julia finished.

"Cain's a man you know. I'm pretty sure he can handle himself…" Rodney spoke up. "Yea, Lavender Eyes let's DG walk around at night. She's even younger than you, and your younger than Cain…" Glitch pointed out. Another set of footsteps could be heard and they turned to see Cain walking towards them. "Your clothes dry now?" Rodney asked.

"They are, but I could have been doing something more useful with my time if someone hadn't thrown me in there in the first place…" Cain said, turning to look at Julia.

"You were being a jerk!" Julia protested.

"And she didn't throw you in. She pushed you…" Rodney commented. Glitch laughed. "That was cool…" Glitch spoke up. Cain turned to look at Glitch. "Not the you going in, but the part about how they finished each others sentence. Although…you going in was cool…and funny…" Glitch said, resting his chin on Rodney's head.

Cain blinked at Glitch a few times, before turning to Rodney. "Regardless whether she threw me in or not. I still went in…" he said. Rodney smiled slightly. Cain turned to look at Julia. "So you thought I deserved getting wet because I was a jerk?" Cain asked. "Yes! You're lucky there wasn't a pile of dung nearby…" Julia said, rolling her eyes.

Cain raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. Julia couldn't help but smile, but did not look at him. "Only joking. You weren't that much of a jerk…" Julia said, looking at the floor. "What do you say we all go take a walk in the woods for the night?" Glitch asked. Rodney smiled. "I'm in…" she said. They looked at Julia and Cain.

"Can't. Sorry. I've got sleep to catch up on…" she said, with a shrug. "Oh…boo…" Rodney said. She looked at Cain. "How about you?" she asked. Cain sighed. "Why don't they two of you have some time alone together. I don't really want to be a third wheel. I'm just going to stay here…Julia, want me to walk you back to your room?" Cain asked.

Julia smiled as she walked past him. "So now you're being chivalrous? Guess that would make up for your actions…" she said. Cain smiled, and began to follow her. "What you pushing me into the lake wasn't good enough?" Cain asked. "Nope…" Julia replied, as they disappeared around the hallway.

Glitch turned to look at Rodney. "Guess its just you and me…" he said with a smile. Rodney smiled. "Guess so…" she said. He took her hand in his and they walked out of the castle together. "Guess it will be more fun this way…" Glitch spoke up. "Yea, walks are generally more fun when they are calm and quiet…" Rodney agreed.

They began to walk through the woods, under the pale moonlight. "So…anything on your mind you want to talk about?" Glitch asked, looking down at her. Rodney shrugged. "Nothing really…" Rodney replied, looking at the ground. "You sure?" Glitch questioned. Rodney sighed.

"Just thinking…you know…about how life living alone is going to be after the wedding…" Rodney replied. Glitch ducked under a low tree branch. "You won't be alone…" he answered. "I don't expect you to stay with me. Lavender Eyes will miss her advisor. Besides, you can always come here to visit…" Rodney replied, ducking after him.

"Thanks…" Glitch said, with a smile. "Yep…" Rodney spoke up. Glitch and Rodney found a clearing in the woods. Glitch smiled down at her, before taking his spot on the ground. Rodney joined him, sitting on his left. They each laid back, with their fingers locked behind their head. "There is so many of them…" Rodney said in awe, referring to the stars.

"Yea…" Glitch replied. Glitch shifted his eyes to look over at her. The moonlight was shining on her face, and she looked truly beautiful. "Rodney, can I ask you a question?" Glitch asked. "You just did…" Rodney replied. She looked over at Glitch and they both chuckled slightly. "Go ahead…" Rodney spoke up.

"How did you get your name?" Glitch asked. Rodney turned away and looked at the stars for a few seconds, before sighing. "If it's a personal question…you don't have to answer…" Glitch said, apologetically.

"No, its okay…." Rodney answered.

She smiled up at the stars. "I was named after the third queen of the kingdom. My great-great-grandmother. My grandmother would always tell my stories about how stubborn and beautiful she was. About how she was a gentle leader. But…she did have a certain wit about her. Behind closed doors, she was a goofy and sometimes crazed person…with the occasional sneaking out of the castle to meet one of her suitors while she was growing up. But when she was in court, ruling, or signing a treaty…she spoke with grace. She was very mature for her age. She was smart, and wouldn't let the other kings and such out smart her….she was a tricky person. Everyone loved her. She kept putting everyone's needs before her own…" Rodney finished.

Glitch smiled. "She sounds like you…" he said.

Rodney smiled. "Thanks. I hope to be like her one day…" she said, inhaling the night breeze.

Glitch looked over at her. "You will be…infact…you already are…" Glitch said.

Rodney turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

Glitch turned on his side, and she did the same. "You are a gentle person Rodney. You can be extremely witty…" he paused to smile and Rodney returned the smile. Glitch ran his fingers gently through Rodney's hair. "But you also have a very…mature and royal air about you. You have a perfect balance." He said, his eyes meeting hers again.

Rodney rested on her elbow more, as she listened.

"You're talking about ruling alone when your sister gets married. But you won't be. Regardless of whether I even stay or not, you'll never be alone. Of course, I will come back to see you…because you're very special to me….but…" Glitch paused, to slide closer to her.

"No one is ever alone in the universe. You may not be able to see them, but you still have your mother…grandmother…even your great-great grandmother….inside of you. Here…" he said, pointing to her heart.

Rodney looked down, before looking at him again.

"They may not be able to talk back, but trust me…they are there. So, you never are alone…." Glitch finished with a small smile.

Rodney's face softened, as she slid closer to Glitch. Their lips met in a soft, caring kiss.

Glitch pulled away slightly. "Besides…you always got Aiden around…" he said. Rodney laughed slightly, before kissing him again. His lips caressed hers softly.

"We should probably head back now…" she said, their lips still brushing. "Alright…let's go…" he said, giving her a quick kiss before helping her stand up.


	28. Chapter 28

"What?! No I did not!" Julia protested. Cain began to laugh. "Yes, yes you did…" Cain replied. "I did not just check that guard out…" Julia replied. "No, you just did a double take by accident…" Cain said, rolling his eyes. "I was seeing if that was Paxton…" Julia answered. "Okay…" Cain said, looking away.

"Besides…he wasn't even attractive…." Julia said, looking at the floor. Cain looked down at her, raising an eyebrow. "No?" Cain asked. "Nope. Yuck…" Julia said, sticking out her tongue. "I think he had a….rugged sort of look…" Cain said, before turning red.

"Maybe YOU were the one checking him out Cain…" Julia said, with a smile. "No. I was just stating a fact that he was muscular looking and…." Cain paused to look down at her. "I'm going to stop talking…." Cain said. Julia nodded. "Good idea…" Julia agreed.

They looked up to see Rodney and Glitch walking towards them. "Hey…" Julia said, nodding at them. "Hi. What you guys been up to?" Rodney asked. Julia and Cain looked at each other with a small smile, before looking at them. "Julia found an eye candy…" Cain stated. "Ew. Cain…no…" Julia said, making a face. "She checked him out…" Cain said, looking at Rodney.

Julia shoved Cain and he laughed. "Cain…." Julia whined. "You know that I'm kidding…" Cain said, putting his arm around her shoulders. Julia and Cain exchanged a smile.

It took Julia a minute to realize where she was. Her and Cain exchanged an awkward look, before splitting. They looked in the opposite direction, blushing slightly. Rodney and Glitch exchanged a knowing look.

Footsteps could be heard and they all looked up to see Paxton walking towards them. "See, Julia? Did that guy look anything like Paxton?" Cain teased. Julia rolled her eyes and Paxton looked confused. "What?" Paxton asked. "Nothing, dear. You need me?" Julia asked, shooting Cain a playful glare. "Yes. Can I talk to you on the west balcony…now?" he asked.

Julia shrugged. "Sure…" she said. She looked at Cain. "Hate you…" she said, before walking past him. "Thanks…" Cain said, smiling slightly. Julia narrowed her eyes mysteriously at Rodney and Glitch, before joining Paxton. The disappeared down the hall together, with an awkward silence.

Rodney turned to look at Cain. "What the heck?" she asked. Cain shrugged. "I honestly don't even know…" he said. Rodney raised an eyebrow at him, before looking at Glitch. "Thanks…for that…" she said, with a small smile. Glitch put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "No problem…" he replied.

Cain raised both his eyebrows. "Wait a minute….did you two…" Cain trailed off. "No. Cain, is your mind always in the gutter? Either that or you hang out with Julia way too much…" Rodney spoke up. "You are just as bad as she is…" Cain said, rolling his eyes. Rodney shrugged. "Yea. I can agree with that…" she said, before smiling at Glitch.

Glitch smiled down at her. "Remember, if you ever need to talk about it…come to me…" he said. Rodney rested her head on his chest. "I will…" she said.


	29. Chapter 29

Paxton opened the balcony door for Julia, and she stepped through. She looked up at the sky, and was in awe. She then realized that it was a perfect romantic setting, but also realized that it was with the wrong guy.

"I like coming out to think…" Paxton spoke up, standing next to her. "Oh…" Julia trailed. Paxton looked at her. "Something wrong?" he asked. "No. Just taking the sites in…" Julia said, looking at the stars. Paxton smiled slightly. "Hmm. Amazing, aren't they?" Paxton asked. "Sure," Julia replied. Paxton turned so he was fully facing her.

"You been thinking about the wedding lately?" Paxton questioned. "Yes, often…" Julia replied, looking at him. "Well, you've got nothing to worry about. It will be a fun marriage…" Paxton said, stepping closer to her. "I'm sure it will be…" Julia responded, nervously. Paxton stepped so he was against her. "Two rulers, two separate kingdoms….what a…powerful…marriage…" he said, his eyes looking malicious. Julia could see his eyes flickering with some sort of look, although she couldn't quite place it.

Paxton leaned in, his face getting close to hers. Julia froze suddenly. She was confused, and wasn't ready for it. She quickly drew out of his path, and looked down. "Sorry…" she trailed. She heard an angry exhale, and she looked up to see Paxton looking furious.

"You know, you can't keep avoiding these things. Because once we are married, we are going to be doing more than a simple kiss. Once we are married, you won't be able to resist me…" Paxton spoke up, gritting his teeth. Julia then realized his eyes were full of anger, malice, greed, and want.

"You know, I don't have to marry you. I never fully consented…" Julia spoke up, putting a hand on her hip.

"And let your dear mother down? Crush your sister's hopes and dreams of ruling on her own? Refuse your mother's last wish? Face it, Blondie, you don't have a choice…" Paxton growled.

"Don't condescend me or my sister, and stop talking about my mother like that. You didn't know her…" Julia stated.

Paxton pressed his lips into a firm line, before speaking again. "Once we are married, I want…and I expect an heir…" he growled.

Julia made a face of disgust. "Well, I'm not giving you one…" she hissed.

Paxton's face changed to an enraged one, as he drew his arm back and slapped Julia across the face with a strong blow. Julia's eyes flashed with shock, as she placed her hand on the side of her face before turning back to look at him.

"Now look what you made me do! You better start obeying me or else this won't be the last time. I wanted to like you, but I guess that's not going to happen…" Paxton yelled.

"You don't seem the loving type. Might as well forget about this marriage now, after I tell Rodney what you just did…" Julia stated.

Paxton smirked. "Oh, I don't think so…" he said, grabbing Julia's arm. He pulled her against him.

"You breathe one word of this to Rodney, there won't be a Rodney to stop me. If you go to the Tin Man, I'll make sure he gets a…special treatment since I know you two are so close, before he disappears. You wouldn't want dear Cain to wind up dead, would you? How would Rodney feel if her precious Zipperhead was slain in the middle of the night? Or how would King Ahamo and Queen Lavender Eyes react to their daughter's death?" Paxton questioned.

He paused to smirk maliciously, before continuing. "Either way, you lose. There is no person you can go to…"

Julia curled her lip in disgust. "You hurt any one of them, prince or not, husband or not…I will not hesitate to kill you…" she growled.

Paxton smiled. "This is going to be a fun marriage, isn't it hunny?" Paxton questioned.

Before Julia could reply, there was a knock on the door. Julia and Paxton exchanged a glare, before Paxton let her go. "Come in…" Paxton said. The door opened and Cain stood there. "There you two are. Julia, Rodney needs to talk to you. She sent me to find you. Are you two busy?" Cain asked.

Paxton put on a smile. "No, Rodney can steal her away. Julia was about to leave anyway…weren't you dear?" Paxton asked.

"Yea…" Julia replied. Paxton looked at Cain, before pulling Julia into a tight hug. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Remember, mention this conversation and your precious Tin Man and your dear sister will be dead…" he whispered.

Julia pulled away with a forced smile, and she walked towards Cain. "What's Rodney need?" she asked. Cain shrugged. "No idea, I'll take you there…." Cain said, following her down the hallway.

Paxton gritted his teeth as he stood on the balcony. He was sick of all these little things getting in the way of what he wanted. He walked to see the hallways empty now. He smirked to himself, before striding down the hallway. He nodded to a few maids in passing, before making his way outside of the castle. He took his horse from the stables, and began to ride off into the woods.

He rode for a few minutes, before stopping outside of a cave. He dismounted and tied his horse to the tree. He brushed off his shoulders, as he entered. He saw the group of men sitting in a circle, around the fire. Paxton smiled as he stepped up behind the one. "It's nice to see you again…Zero…" Paxton said.

Zero turned around and faced him with a wicked smirk. "Who do you want me to kill this time? It's been awhile my friend…" Zero said, shaking Paxton's hand. Paxton sighed. "There is a guy named Glitch, a princess named Rodney….and a tin man…named Wyatt Cain…" Paxton growled.


	30. Chapter 30

The next morning Julia and Rodney were sitting on a bench in the hallway. "So, what happened last night? Under the _romantic_ starlight?" Julia teased. Rodney shrugged and smiled, blushing slightly. "Nothing…god…how many times do I have to tell you?" Rodney questioned. "Until you tell me what really happened…" Julia said, turning to face her.

"We did kiss, but that's it. Okay? You satisfied?" Rodney questioned. Julia smiled and Rodney shook her head. "Guess not…" she said, looking away. "Come on, Rodney. You have the _man of your dreams _under the stars…and all you do is kiss?" Julia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, that's all…" Rodney said, rolling her eyes and shoving her sister.

Julia stuck her tongue out at her. "You're too much of a mushy romantic…" she said. "What did you expect us to do?" Rodney asked. Julia showed Rodney a mysterious smile. "What do you think?" she asked, with a somewhat dirty look.

Before Rodney could reply, the voice of Glitch rang out.

"Julia…Rodney…we have a problem!"

Julia and Rodney looked at the approaching Cain and Glitch, before looking back at each other. "We can finish this conversation later…" Julia said, patting her sister's leg. "So counting on that…" Rodney said, smiling slightly. They both stood up and walked over to Cain and Glitch.

"What's up?" Julia asked.

Glitch looked uneasy. "Well…um….I…" he began.

"Spit it out…." Rodney said.

Glitch looked over and noticed Cain giving him a warning look.

"I'm going to tell them no matter what, Cain. Cain and I were showing Aiden how to sword fight and…." Glitch paused, to look at Cain again.

"Did one of you break something?" Julia questioned. "It's nothing…" Cain spoke up. "Well obviously if it were nothing you wouldn't be here…" Rodney said, rolling her eyes.

"I accidentally cut Cain on his arm, but he is using his coat to cover the wound…" Glitch blurted. Cain sighed, and closed his eyes, rolling his neck to look down at the floor. Julia and Rodney both looked at Cain. "Oh…that is something…" Rodney spoke up, widening her eyes slightly. Julia put her hands on her hips. "Alright Cain, off with the jacket…" Julia said.

Cain sighed again. "It's seriously nothing…" he said. Rodney and Glitch exchanged glances. "That's probably not the smartest thing to say to her…" Rodney muttered. Julia crossed her arms across her chest. "Take the trench coat…off…" Julia said, sternly. Cain looked over at Glitch and Rodney. Glitch looked down at the floor, and Rodney gave Cain a nod.

Cain looked back at Julia, before sliding his jacket off his body. Julia and Rodney both looked at Cain's right arm. They saw that his plaid shirt was stained with red, and his shirt was sliced. A five inch clean cut stood out.

Rodney's eyes widened excitedly. "Wow, Glitch! Nice cut!" she said, smiling at him. Glitch returned the smile. "Yea…I guess it was…" he said, sounding pleased. "Geez, Cain. That is something! You need stitches…" Julia stated. Glitch turned to look at Cain with a smile. "Ha. See Cain, I told you…." Glitch said, pointedly.

"Unfortunately…we don't have any nurses yet. So, I'll have to do it…" Julia said, looking up at him. "Alright, you take care of him…and I'm going to go sword fight with Glitch…" Rodney said, smiling over at him. Julia gave her a warning look. "Don't worry. We will be careful. I promise…" Rodney said, leading Glitch down the hallway.

"They worry me," Julia stated simply. "Me too," Cain spoke up. Julia turned and gave him a look. "You can't talk. You worry me too…sometimes even more so. Where did you get the swords from anyway?" Julia questioned. "Glitch and Aiden found them…" Cain stated. "Glitch found….you know what? Never mind. Come on…let's go to my room and I'll fix you up there," Julia said, motioning for him to follow her.

They began to head towards her room. "I must admit, I'm surprised to hear of you using a weapon other than your gun these days…" Julia said, opening the door. Cain chuckled slightly. "Just toss all of your clothes and hat onto the bed…" Julia called over her shoulder, as she walked in the bathroom to get the medical supplies. Once she had successfully gathered everything she needed, she walked back in the room.

She froze when she saw Cain's bare back facing her. "Oh…" Julia said, before she could stop herself.

Cain turned to face her, bare chested. Julia pulled her gaze off of his body, and tried to keep her focus on her face. "Hi…" Julia said, awkwardly. Cain looked away, before turning back to her. "Hi…" he said, raising his hand. Julia shook her head before looking at him. "Sorry….um…here…sit on the bed," Julia said, motioning for him to sit.

Cain took his place next to her on the bed, sitting close to her. Julia smiled slightly, before dipping the needle in warm water. "It's a shame that we don't have your viewer Raw here. It would be less painful. This might sting…" Julia said, using swabs to clean his cut. Cain shrugged. "I'm sure I'll be…" Cain paused to inhale sharply as the needle pierced his skin.

Julia looked up at his face for a second. "I'm sorry…" she stated, apologetically. Cain smiled slightly. "It's fine…" he said, with a simple nod. Julia returned to fixing his arm. "You sure you trust Rodney and Glitch with the swords?" Cain asked. "I trust Rodney. I mean… she's been trained with weapons. Glitch on the other hand, not so much…." Julia said, weaving the stitches.

"And….me?" Cain asked, looking at her. She froze for a second. "Um…yea. I trust you…." She replied. "Just not with swords…." Cain said, with a small smirk. Julia smiled and shook her head. "No," she said.

After a few more minutes, she finished the stitches on his arm. "All done. Be careful, and…no more swords okay?" she asked, before standing up. Cain nodded, and stood up as well. Julia realized how close she was to him, and smiled nervously. "Get dressed, and…Rodney and I will show you how really fight with swords…" Julia said, walking away. Cain raised his eyebrow as she walked away.

He finished dressing, and placed his hat on his head. He looked up as Julia entered the room. "Alright…let's go…" she said, with a small smile. They walked to the door, and Cain ushered her out first. She smiled in thanks, and he followed her out. He closed the door behind him. "Maybe we should come up with alittle surprise attack. I could grab the swords from the other room….you could play the cop in the role play with your gun and all…" Julia said, a child-like smile on her face.

Cain looked down at her. "I don't know if a surprise attack and Glitch with a sword will turn out to nicely…" he stated. "Yea. Paxton will probably come out and ask why we are acting like five year olds too…but whatever….regular attacks work well….although…play attacks…" Julia said, with a shrug. Cain looked down at the floor, and stopped walking.

"So, you really are going to marry this guy?" he asked. Julia turned to face him. "Uh…random much….don't you think?" she asked, with a nervous laugh. Cain looked up at her, his face emotionless. "Yes…" Julia replied. "Oh…" Cain said, looking away.

Julia tilted her head. "What are you not saying?" Julia asked. "You love him?" Cain asked. Julia shook her head and looked down at the ground. "No, but…" Julia paused. "But what?" Cain asked. Julia turned to face him again. "I want to do what my mom wants. I owe her my life…" Julia stated.

"You're obviously not comfortable with marrying him. You think your mom would want you living an uncomfortable life?" Cain asked, taking steps so he was a few inches away from her. "No but….look. I don't have a choice here, Cain…" Julia replied, feeling a sudden feeling in her stomach from being so close to him.

"There is always a choice…" Cain stated. "No, no there isn't….at least not this time…" Julia said, shaking her head. She looked down at the ground, still shaking her head. "Maybe you just think that there isn't…." Cain said, softly. "No. I know that there is no other way. I'm going to have to marry someone eventually anyway. Might as well get it over with now…" Julia said, with a shrug.

"To a guy who doesn't show signs that he loves you…." Cain said, his eyes boring into hers. "Well. Highly unlikely I'll find a guy who does anyway. I'm not exactly someone who is easy to love…." Julia muttered. Cain shook his head. "That's not true…" Cain retorted.

Julia looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean and why do you care so much?" Julia questioned. Cain kept his eyes locked into hers, his breathing steady. "Cain?" Julia asked, slightly worried.

Cain stepped forward, pressing his body against hers. He used a finger fingers to tilt her chin up, before kissing her softly. His lips caressed hers. He pulled away after a few seconds. "That's why…" Cain whispered.

Julia opened her eyes, slowly and looked up at him. Cain's brought his one hand up to her face, and ran his fingers through her hair.

"You're saying that you have to marry this guy. This guy only seems like the kind of guy who only wants to be with you because of your royalty. He doesn't see how much of a great person you really are…" Cain trailed.

Julia's eyes softened. "So even if I were a regular person you would still want to be with me?" Julia questioned.

"Yes," Cain replied with no hesitation.

Julia closed her eyes and looked down at the ground. "Without looking, what is the color of my eyes?" Julia questioned.

Cain sighed and smiled slightly. "Well, defienetly brown. But when you are happy they are almost an…amber color. When you are upset they are dark….and when you look into the sun they are Golden. That's my favorite…" Cain said.

Julia opened her eyes, and slowly brought her gaze back to his. "I may not know everything about your sister, mother, or extended family. But I do know you, and I know that you don't want this wedding," Cain stated.

"I don't, but it has to happen. Which is why you and I can never be…" Julia said, stepping back slightly so she was out of his reach.

Cain looked down for a second, before looking back at her. "Julia, do you love me?" Cain questioned. Julia bit her lip, before attempting to reply. "I…" Julia began. Her and Cain shared a look.

"Ah! There you are!" came the voice of Paxton. Julia looked past Cain, before looking back at him.

"Doesn't matter how I feel, you and I just…can't…happen…" Julia said, shaking her head. Cain's face fell slightly, as he averted his eyes. Julia looked away. "I'm sorry…." She muttered. She stepped around Cain, his arm brushing against hers as she did.


	31. Chapter 31

"You need me for something?" Julia asked, approaching Paxton. Paxton put on a smile. "Yes, my dear. I have the men with me that are going to be in my court that I thought you would like to meet before the wedding…" Paxton said, placing a hand on Julia's shoulders. He motioned for Julia to walk outside. Once she did, he turned his attention to Cain's back.

"You alright, tin man?" Paxton asked, with a slight disdain. Cain turned his face slightly, before raising his arm. "Fine…" he said, before turning back and proceeding down the hallway. Paxton smiled. "For now…" he muttered, before following her outside.

Rodney and Glitch had been practicing with swords for alittle over two hours, before they decided to retire. "You were great, Glitch! You sure you never used a sword before in your life?" Rodney asked. Glitch shook his head. "Nope…" he said. Rodney smiled, before looking back at him. "How about you keep that sword?" Rodney asked, nodding towards it.

Glitch looked down at the sword. "But…this was your dad's…." Glitch stuttered. "I know. But it's about time someone else had the chance to wield it…" Rodney said, with a shrug. Glitch smiled at her. "You sure?" he asked. Rodney tilted her head up at him and kissed him softly. "Positive…" she said, smiling up at him. Glitch returned the smile.

There were footsteps heard, and they looked up to see Cain walking by, looking at the ground. "Hey Cain!" Glitch exclaimed. Cain stopped, and turned his head before slowly bringing his gaze to Glitch. "Hi…" he said. Rodney and Glitch exchanged looks, before looking back at him. "What's wrong?" Rodney asked. There was the sounds of another pair of doors opening, and they all saw Paxton leading Julia towards the courtyards, where Paxton's friends were.

Cain averted his eyes before turning away. He began to walk along the path. "Wait, Cain where are you going?" Glitch asked. Rodney stared after him. "Maybe he needs some time to think…." Rodney replied, turning her gaze back to Glitch. "Oh…" Glitch said, looking back at her. She smiled up at him. "Let's go somewhere private…." She said, leading him back towards the castle.

It had been a week since the kiss. Four of the days, Julia and Cain didn't speak at all. This caused Rodney to grow some suspicion. They finally literally bumped into each other one day. Julia was with Rodney and the conversation was more than awkward. Rodney couldn't help but notice that the two of them would hardly look at each other when they were talking.

As the week came to a close, they had returned to small smiles and simple things. As Julia walked down the hall to go to her dancing lessons for her wedding celebration, she remembered her previous conversation with Rodney.

"_You going to explain what is going on?" Rodney questioned._

"_There is nothing to explain…" Julia said, aiming her bow at the target._

"_You and Cain went from best friends to…whatever the hell you call this…" Rodney stated, folding her arms._

_Julia lowered her bow. "I just don't want to talk about it, okay? We are talking again now…maybe not as fluently or as deep…but we are…" Julia replied._

_Rodney gave her a look. "Sure…whatever…" she said, walking away._

_Julia raised an eyebrow at her. Rodney turned around. "And when you find time to trust me again, I'll listen…" she said._

_She gave Julia a small smile, before disappearing in the garden._

Julia's thoughts were disturbed by some giggling. Julia looked up to see Cain standing at the end of the hallway, talking to a maid. Another maid walked up, and the first maid walked away with her. She gave Cain a small wave, before giggling and disappearing around the corner with her friend. Julia watched as Cain turned to face her direction, a small smile on his face.

When he faced her, his smile faded. "Oh, hey…" he said, awkwardly.

"Hi….who was that?" Julia asked. "Katherine, the maid. Apparently she lost one of my shirts…she was apologizing…" Cain stated. Julia folded her arms across her chest. "Oh? Well, that's interesting…" Julia replied.

"How so?" Cain asked. "Well, in case you didn't notice…its obvious that she has a crush on you. How do you know whether she just took the shirt?" Julia asked, pointedly. Cain raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Its true…the things woman would do to get an attractive man to notice her…" Julia said, with a sigh.

Cain raised both his eyebrows and showed her a small smile. "Oh. I didn't mean you specifically. I mean in general most men are attractive. I was just using you as an example…" Julia stuttered slightly. "So you do think I'm attractive then" Cain questioned.

"No, I…." Julia paused to sigh. "Okay. Fine, yes I do. Now don't go getting a big head…you're hat won't fit…" Julia stated. She walked past him, not noticing the small smile on his face. "And where is the attractive princess off to?" Cain asked, before turning to face her. Julia froze, and slowly turned around to face him. "To dance rehearsal with Rodney, Glitch and Paxton…" Julia replied.

"Ah, going to see your attractive prince?" Cain asked. Julia narrowed her eyes slightly and began to walk towards him. "I don't know, you going to see the attractive maid?" she asked. Cain began to walk towards her as well. "I don't know. I was thinking about taking her with me when we went for a walk with Rodney and Glitch around the grounds. You and Paxton could come if you want. A nice little…couple walk…" Cain said, smirking.

"Wait a second. Are you using a maid to make me jealous?" Julia asked. "I don't know, am I?" Cain played.

"You can't be serious…" Julia retorted. "Oh, yes I can…" Cain replied, folding his arms. "But are you?" Julia asked. "Am I what?" Cain played. "Are you serious?" Julia repeated. "I don't know am I?" Cain asked, raising an eyebrow.

Julia groaned. "I don't have time for this…" Julia stated, turning away. She began to head down the hallway. "Hey, Julia!" Cain called. Julia stopped in her tracks, but didn't look at him. "What?" she growled. "I'm not serious…" he replied.

Julia finally turned to face him. "Well, congratulations…" Julia replied. She took a few steps away from him, before turning around again.

"For the record, Paxton is not attractive…" Julia stated. "Neither is the maid…" Cain replied.

Julia smiled slightly. "Where you headed?" she asked. "I need to go see Azkadellia. She said that her mother has a letter for me and Glitch…" Cain replied. "Oh, I'll let Glitch know…" Julia said.

"Thanks…have fun dancing," Cain said, tipping his hat slightly. "Hmm…that's likely. I'm sure Rodney and Glitch will have fun…" Julia replied.

"Hey. Just a thought?" Cain asked. "Yea?" Julia replied.

"Do you seriously think I'm attractive?" Cain questioned. Julia smiled slightly at him. "See you later, Cain…" she replied. She walked around the corner and disappeared. Cain raised his eyebrows, before walking in the opposite direction. "I take that as a yes…" he stated.


	32. Chapter 32

Julia walked in the ballroom to see Rodney and Glitch already dancing. "You two have a very nice flow…" the king commented. Rodney smiled up at Glitch. "He's a fantastic dancer…" she commented, and Glitch smiled. The king turned his attention to see Julia walking in the room. "Ah! Princess Julia…." he said, walking towards her.

Julia smiled slightly as she looked up to see Paxton making his way over to her as well. The King clapped a hand on her bare shoulder. "You ready to rehearse, my dear?" he asked. Julia nodded stiffly.

"Good. Now…. First my wife and I will proceed down the stairs. Followed by Rodney and her suitor. Last will be you and Paxton…" the king said, pointing towards the stairs. "Great…" Julia said, faking enthusiasm.

"Good. Next Rodney and um…" the king paused. "Glitch…" Rodney spoke up.

"Glitch! Yes, of course….they will begin dancing…..so dance…" the king instructed. Rodney and Glitch turned to face each other, with smiles on their faces. Julia watched as the two of them began to flow around the floor. "Good, very….graceful. Keep dancing! Now, Paxton…escort your fiancé onto the dance floor…" the King said, turning to him.

Paxton took Julia's hand, and turned to face her. Julia felt as though something in her closed up. She was moving, but something wasn't right about it.

"Maybe you want to slow down…" the king suggested.

"Sorry…." Julia said, looking at the floor.

There was a knock on the door, and a servant walked in.

"Sir Paxton…" he said, after clearing his throat.

Paxton looked over. "Oh, right. Father I think its time for you to go…get those things….and mother…" Paxton spoke up. The king nodded. "You're right…" he agreed.

"Things?" Julia asked, raising an eyebrow. "A surprise for my bride and for my future sister in law…I must abide a farewell as well…." he said, leaning over and kissing her hand. "I hate surprises…" Rodney whispered to Glitch.

"I thought we had to practice…" Julia stated.

There was another knock on the door and Cain entered. He looked down at the servant. "You wanted me?" he asked him.

"Ah, perfect! Cain, how about you practice with Julia. I have some business to attend to…" Paxton spoke up, walking towards him. Cain looked confused.

"Oh, well I actually…."

"Aw, come on. I insist!" Paxton protested, pushing Cain towards Julia. He leaned over to whisper in Cain's ear. "See if you can help her to really…flow…" Paxton whispered. He showed Cain a false smile, before he and his father walked out of the room. Rodney and Glitch finally stopped dancing, and looked over at the two of them.

Cain looked down at Julia. "Well, this is somewhat awkward…." Cain pointed out.

"Yea…little bit…" Julia replied, her eyes looking everywhere but his.

Rodney raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "So…give him your hand…" Rodney stated.

"Yes, thank you Rodney…" Julia commented.

Julia and Cain exchanged an awkward look.

"Go on…" Rodney said, slightly amused. Julia stepped forward and placed a hand on Cain's shoulder as he placed his on her waist. She took his hand in his. "You leading?" Cain asked. "Uh…might be best if you do it…" Julia said, feeling slightly at ease.

Cain shrugged, as he began to lead the dance. Something about dancing with Cain felt so easy to her.

"I'm….actually doing it now…" Julia stuttered slightly. "See, isn't it easy?" Cain asked, smiling down at her. "Oh my god, my sister is actually doing something right!" Rodney said, mocking shock. "You're right…" Julia stated.

"Me?" Rodney asked, confused. "No! Not you…Cain…" Julia trailed. Rodney shot him a look. "You know what, Cain? You really suck…" she said. Cain raised an eyebrow, while spinning Julia around. "Why, because I clearly give better advice than you?" he questioned. "Yes, that would be why…" Rodney replied. Cain turned his attention back to Julia.

"So, I talked to Azkadellia today," he stated. "Interesting…" Julia replied. "The Queen wants Glitch and I to come back once the wedding is over," Cain said, with a sigh. Julia looked up at him. "What?" she asked. "Why?" Rodney spoke up, looking at Glitch. Cain shrugged. "Probably for royal reasons. It wasn't a very thorough letter…" Cain said.

"Oh…" Julia said. She spun into him, and Cain caught her hands that were crossed across her body. Her back was to his chest. He looked down at her. "Bet that makes you happy…" Cain stated. Julia tilted her head back slightly to look at him. "Why would that make me happy?" Julia asked. "Because…you can't stand me…" Cain said. Julia spun out and resumed the dance position.

"If I couldn't stand you then why would I spend a lot of time with you? Why would I laugh at what you say…or even talk to you?" Julia questioned. "You feel sympathetic…" Cain said, with a small smile. Rodney noticed that they seemed to be dancing and spinning faster than they were before. "What are they doing?" she muttered to herself.

"If I couldn't stand you I would have slapped you after you kissed me!" Julia snapped. Glitch and Rodney exchanged looks. "Wait, what?" Glitch asked. "You guys kissed? And I missed it?" Rodney questioned.

Cain ignored the two of them and slowly dipped Julia back, before bringing her back up again. "Not bad for a woman who has lived in a cave after all these years…" he said, with a small smile. He let her go, and began to walk away. Julia scoffed. "Okay, what is your problem?" she asked.

"I can name about fifty answers to that question…" Rodney muttered. Julia turned and shot Rodney an angry glare. "Stating the facts…." Rodney continued.

"Problem? I don't have a problem. You're the one who is stuck marry an arrogant prince…you're the one who has the problem on your hands…" Cain stated.

"But didn't you kiss?" Glitch asked. "Not now…" Rodney said, patting Glitch's arm softly. Julia grabbed Cain's arm. "You think I planned for this to happen? I'm scared Cain, okay? I don't know what's going to happen once I leave my home. I won't be able to see Aiden grow up. I won't be able to see the look that Rodney and Glitch get when they see each other…and I want to be able to see it. I want to have fights with my sister….or be able to sit and simply talk with her…I won't have that anymore…" Julia stated.

Cain stared down at her. "You're calling Paxton arrogant and rude…but how are you any different if you are constantly reminding me of my problems?" Julia questioned.

Rodney raised an eyebrow. If her sister didn't slap Cain across the face right now, she surely would. Instead, Julia turned away and went to walk towards the doors. Cain reached out and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? Let go of me…you jerk…" Julia said, attempting to pull away. Cain pulled her into a hug, and she stopped struggling.

"I'm sorry…" Cain stated. Rodney heard soft sobs as Julia cried into Cain's chest. "As much as I hate to admit it…I think I'd rather have Cain as a brother in law…" Rodney stated. "I think Julia would rather be marrying him…." Glitch said, pointedly. "Yea…well, you can't always get what you want…" Rodney said, with a sigh.

Glitch smiled over at her. "I wish I could stay here with you…" Glitch said. "Who says that you can't?" Rodney asked. Glitch looked down at the ground for a second. "Apparently…Lavender Eyes…" Glitch replied.

Rodney went to move towards her sister, but Glitch took her hand in his again.

"They need to talk this out," Glitch said, with a soft expression. Rodney looked hesitant for a second. "Okay…" she said.

Glitch smiled at her. "But it is nice of you to be concerned…" he said


	33. Chapter 33

The servant turned to face Paxton. "You see what I mean, sir? Did you see how she flowed with him? Look how he is hugging her," he spoke up.

Paxton sighed, and folded his arms. "Yes, I see it. I bet it would be even better if I heard it," he replied.

"The sister and her boyfriend appear to be encouraging this relationship…" he stated, pointedly. "That is true. I need to meet up with Zero, see why those three aren't dead yet…I'm going to make him go for the Zipperhead and the sister," Paxton said, turning to the servant.

"Why, sir?" the servant questioned. "Because that way I'll comfort her before the tin man does, and then, he will be gone. Then this kingdom will be ours," Paxton said, before smirking wickedly.

Another week had passed by. The wedding was approaching fast. The group was walking through the woods, in search of a horse that Paxton had reported run away. Apparently it was a horse that was bred from a line of pure-bred horses that had been born in Paxton's family history for many months. Paxton's mother had recently arrived. The two sisters both agreed that she seemed to have a more gentle nature about her.

Paxton's rather rash behavior must have been inherited from his father's side of the family.

"What does this horse even look like?" Glitch questioned. "Gray…" Rodney replied. She looked over at her sister. She noticed Cain was ahead of the group far enough so she could have a private conversation with her sister. "Hey…" Rodney said, in a soft voice.

Julia looked over at her. "How's it going?" she asked. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" Rodney replied. "I'll be fine," Julia said, looking at the ground. "You will be fine? I'm not asking how you will be…I'm asking you how you are now…" Rodney stated.

"Rodney, every day you ask me this question….and everyday you hear the same response. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of talking like a broken record…" Julia said, quickening her pace.

She looked up to see that Cain had paused. She narrowed her eyes slightly, confused. "Cain? What are you doing?" she asked. Cain looked at her. "Footsteps…" he whispered. He turned and motioned for Rodney and Glitch to duck behind the bushes that they were about to pass. Glitch tilted his head in confusion, but Rodney tugged on his arm and pulled her down with him.

Cain began to look around them. "Cain, I didn't hear…" Julia was cut off. Cain pushed her so she was against a tree. Her back hit the tree hard, and his body pressed up against hers. She could feel his breathing on her face.

"Cain seriously, I'm flattered but-"

"Shut up," Cain snapped.

"Excuse me?"

"Just press yourself up against the tree as much as possible. Its big enough to hide us,"

"Hide us from what, Cain?"

"I don't know, but its getting closer,"

"Well, why didn't you find your own tree so you could get a clear shot at whatever it is?"

"Because it's the only tree close by that we could hide behind…"

Julia sighed, and looked away. It was then that she heard the footsteps getting closer. She felt Cain press himself more against her. The footsteps stopped and she felt a small gasp from Cain on her face.

"It's Zero…he's back…" he said. Cain pulled away from her slightly, and motioned for her to slowly move around the tree so they could remain unseen.

Cain watched two longcoats began to wander towards the spot where Rodney and Glitch were hiding. Cain moved the one side of his coat to the side, and reached back for his gun. Julia watched as he drew it, and he brought it up, ready to fire. She turned her attention back to Cain's face. His steele blue eyes were looking into her brown ones.

It was then the sound of another gun cocking was heard. Both Julia and Cain turned to see Zero standing there.

"Well, isn't this romantic? Reminds me of an old western film I saw one time…" he said. Cain pulled away from Julia, with his hands raised. "No, no, no…." Zero said, before pushing Cain back up against her. She grunted slightly. "Sorry…" Cain muttered.

"Don't stop on my accord…" Zero said, before taking Cain's gun from him.

"You two just stay right there….ah! Look, it's the younger princess and my favorite alchemist…" Zero said, in a delightful way.

Both Julia and Cain turned to look at them. Two longcoats were holding Rodney, and two more were holding Glitch. Zero laughed, before turning back to Cain.

"Let's get one thing clear. The only person that I'm taking back with me today is Julia. On specific instructions…even if she is the one I wanted dead. But I'll be satisfied with three deaths. Especially yours, Cain. So…want to give the princess one last kiss before you die?" Zero asked.

Julia looked at Cain for a few seconds, before looking at Zero. "There is no need for that…because no one is dying today," she replied. Zero sighed. "Fine…" he said, before grabbing Cain's arm and pulling him away.

Rodney struggled against the two longcoats that were holding her back. "You are not getting away with this…" she hissed. "Rodney, so glad you decided to break the ice. You are going to be the first one I kill," Zero said, turning to her.

"No," Julia spoke up. She took strides towards Zero. "You and I are going to settle this…right now…." She said. Zero smiled, and pushed Cain to the ground.

"Fine, what are you going to do? Kill me? My dear, you failed at that last time. Why is this going to be any different?" he asked.

"I have a new motive…" she said. Zero walked towards her as well. Rodney looked over at her. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Saving your butt, okay? So I don't want to hear any complaints about how I do it…." Julia said, not taking her eyes off of Zero.

Zero smirked. "Fine…" he said. He threw a punch towards her head. Julia stepped out on an angle, and trapped his arm. She spun inward, underneath his now raised arm. She elbowed him in the face, before trapping his arm behind him.

"There is only going to be one death today, and that's yours…" she hissed.

She nodded at Cain, who shifted over and picked his gun up from the dirt. Zero's eyes widened slightly, as he stopped on Julia's foot. She winced, but refused to let go. Zero elbowed her in the stomach with his free arm. She was forced to let go. Zero turned to face her, and punched her across the face.

He turned to face the other long coats. "Shoot those two!" he ordered, nodding towards Rodney and Glitch.

Julia looked at Cain. "Help…them…" she muttered. She turned her attention back towards Zero.

"I wish I could just kill you right now…but I made a promise…" he growled. "Cain, what are you waiting for?" Julia asked, still looking at Zero. When Cain didn't reply, she turned to look at him. "Cain, shoot them before they kill my sister and Glitch!" she yelled. Cain turned to look at the four longcoats. He knew he couldn't take out all of them at once.

Zero on the other hand, he could handle with a single bullet. He looked at Rodney for a second, and then looked at Glitch. "Glitch, want to dance?" Cain asked. Rodney's jaw dropped slightly. "We are all about to die, and your worried about dancing?" Rodney asked.

Glitch tilted his head, before nodding in understanding. He turned to Rodney. "Rodney….there is something I want you to know before you die…" he said. Rodney turned to look at Glitch. "Don't you dare…" she hissed. "It's all about rhythm…" he said. Rodney's face softened. She smiled to herself, before looking at the longcoat on her right.

"I love rhythm…how about you?" she questioned. He looked down at her, confused. Rodney then jerked her head to the right and headbutted him. She turned to her left and back-kicked him in the groin. They both released her, and she continued to beat on them. Glitch also began to knee and stomp on the longcoats that were holding him.

Zero drew his gun. "Honestly how hard is it to shoot someone?" he asked. He aimed his gun at Rodney, who was too busy fighting off longcoats to notice. Julia struggled to stand up. She lifted her leg and kicked Zero on the back of his leg. Zero's gun fired, and hit the tree nearby. Both Rodney and Glitch ducked, before resuming to fight off the four longcoats.

Cain sat up, his gun pointed at Zero at the same time Zero looked at him. Cain pulled the trigger and fired the bullet at Zero's heart. Zero staggered back, before falling to the ground. Julia turned to look over at Cain in shock. "W…." she couldn't even find the right words to say. At the sight of their fallen leader, the other longcoats fled, despite their wounds and injuries.

Rodney looked over at Glitch. "You alright?" she asked, breathing heavily. Glitch nodded. "Yea, you?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged. "Been better…" she said, before looking over at her sister. Julia was sliding backwards, away from the Zero's corpse.

"Oh…hunny…" Rodney said, running over towards her. She helped her sister to her feet, before hugging her. "It's okay…." She said.

Julia looked over Rodney's shoulder at Cain, and showed him a grateful smile.


	34. Chapter 34

Paxton smiled as the group approached. "Ah, so good that you are back. Any news on the lost horse?" he asked. "No. But we did find something interesting in the woods, or rather…something interesting found us…" Rodney said. "Ah?" Paxton asked, confused.

"Longcoats," Cain replied. Paxton looked at him. "Oh, well…I'm glad to see….what happened?" he asked. "Zero and a few longcoats ambushed us," Julia spoke up. "Zero? Oh dear…that's a shame….where is he?" Paxton asked. Cain gave him a look. "Dead," he replied.

Paxton sighed, and looked to the ground. "That's….good. Great!" Paxton said, with a reassuring smile. Cain gave him an odd look. "Yea…it is…" he replied. "Cain shot him. Rodney and I took out his…minions…" Glitch said, with a smile. Paxton looked at Glitch. "Really?" he asked. Glitch nodded, with a smile. Paxton turned to look at Cain. "Well, weren't you all lucky that Mr. Cain was there…to save the day?" Paxton asked.

Julia laughed nervously. "Ok…why don't you guys head inside? I need to talk to my fiancé…" she said. Cain, Glitch and Rodney all shrugged and walked towards the castle. Once they left, Julia's smile faded. "You know, your arrogance is really starting to annoy me…" she said. Paxton shrugged. "Well, that's just me. Why you don't go wash up? Take my mother for a tour of the grounds?" Paxton questioned.

Julia rolled her eyes, before brushing past Paxton. Paxton gritted his teeth. Looked like he would have to take care of some things by himself…

Later on that night, Julia and Rodney walked through the halls. It was late at night now. "You going to go say goodnight to Aiden?" Julia asked. Rodney smiled and nodded. "Yea, I haven't talked to him in awhile. I think he has a crush on Azkadellia now…" Rodney said, with a smile. "Yea, that's really funny…" Julia said, laughing slightly.

"Well, I'll see you later…" Rodney said, walking away. Julia waved goodbye as Rodney disappeared around the corner. That's when she noticed Cain walking past the hallway she was in. She smiled to herself and began to creep towards him. She hid behind various statues. She was in a childish mood, after just talking about Aiden.

Scaring Cain would surely cheer her up after the day she had. She was about to jump out and say his name, but another voice beat her to it.

"Hey Tin Man!" came the voice of Paxton. Julia quickly hid behind the corner, peeking around it.

Cain looked up to see Paxton walking towards him. "A word?" Paxton asked, with a phony smile. "Do I have a choice?" Cain asked, with a heavy sigh.

Paxton's smile disappeared, as he shoved Cain against the wall. "No, you don't…" he said. Cain grunted slightly.

"Sorry, did I break your back or something?" Paxton asked, mocking sympathy. "Trust me, I've endured much worse…" Cain replied.

Paxton scoffed slightly. "Oh yea, I heard plenty of stories of you and the Zipperhead. About how you were locked in the iron suit for eight years, shot a few times, and even fell into a frozen lake. The Zipperhead had his brain taken from yet, and built the machine that nearly destroyed our beautiful…precious…OZ…" Paxton said.

He leaned closer to Cain. "You couldn't even save your wife or your son, could you?" he asked. Cain bit his lip, to keep himself from exploding.

"Will you make your point?" he asked. "Don't even try to deny that you have more than a friend feeling for Julia. I've seen the way you look at her, its clearly obvious…" Paxton replied.

Cain sighed. "You are reading into this too deeply, I don't know what you see…" Cain said. "Don't play games with me, Tin Man!" Paxton growled. "You still haven't made your point," Cain snapped.

"Stay away from my fiancé," Paxton stated. "Or you'll do what?" Cain asked. Paxton paused for a second, inhaling deeply. Then he brought his fist back and punched Cain hard in the stomach.

Julia covered her mouth and hid behind the wall to hide her gasp. Cain bent over, clutching his stomach. "Next time…I'll be wearing my brass knuckles and the punch will be in a more painful spot. Also, I'll give your Zipperhead friend alittle surprise…" Paxton said, with a satisfied smile. Cain looked up at Paxton. "Do we understand each other?" Paxton asked. "Oh. I understand…" Cain said, gritting his teeth.

Paxton smiled, before strutting down the hall. "Doesn't mean I'm going to listen…" Cain muttered.

Julia looked down at the ground, before sprinting down the hall. She was sure Cain saw her, but she wasn't expecting to him to follow her. Cain may not have even knew it was her. She rounded the corner and saw Rodney talking to Glitch. "Hey!" Rodney said, grabbing her upper arm. Julia turned to face her. "Excuse me, I've got to go…" Julia said, pulling away.

Rodney watched as her sister disappeared down the hallway, and head towards the balcony. A few seconds later, Rodney and Glitch saw Cain running towards them. "She went that way…" Rodney said, pointing in the direction Julia had disappeared in. Cain looked in the direction. "What's wrong, Cain? The past few weeks you've been really…not yourself…" Glitch said.

"Yea, well…. I don't trust this guy or his father. Does anyone else seem to notice the eerie air they have about them?" Cain asked. "They are weird, but I'm going to have to deal with them for the rest of my life…might as well make the best of it…" Rodney replied, with a shrug. "So you don't care that your sister is marrying an arrogant man?" Cain asked.

"Well, I've tried to get through to her enough times…" Rodney said, looking at the floor. Glitch put an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, Rodney…she knows you love her and how concerned you are about her…" Glitch replied. Rodney smiled at him, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Cain looked away. "Well I uh…" he paused. "Do you always wear that hat, Cain?" Rodney asked. Cain looked at Rodney. "Yes…" he replied, awkwardly. Glitch looked at Rodney. "He never lets anyone else wear it…" Glitch stated. "I'll see you both later…" Cain said, walking towards the balcony. He hated awkward conversations.


	35. Chapter 35

Julia stood on the balcony, thinking about the conversation she just heard. She looked up at the sky, taking comfort in the full moon. There was a slightly chilly breeze, but she chose it ignore it.

"Hey there," came Cain's comforting voice. Julia froze. She didn't even hear him walk onto the balcony. She slowly turned around to see him standing a few feet away. "Cain? What are you doing here? If Paxton sees you…"

"So? Let him see me," Cain responded. "It's not safe for you, Cain…" Julia replied, looking at the ground. Cain smiled slightly. "So I take it that you heard us," he said. "Yea, yea I did. I don't understand why you are smiling about it either…" Julia said, turning away from him again. Cain sighed.

"How have you been, otherwise?" he asked.

"Been better, you?"

"Fine…"

"Good…"

Cain titled his head and he walked so he was standing next to her. " I miss you," he stated, simply. Julia looked at him, before quickly looking away.

"Cain, don't…don't even…"

"I'm sorry, but I do. Seeing you with him? You need to trust me when I say that something isn't right with this guy, that he's not right for you…"

"Oh, and you think that you are?"

Cain paused for a second. Julia sighed. "Sorry…that was…mean…" she replied.

Cain stepped closer to her. "Julia…" he said. "What are you doing?!" Julia asked, backing into the corner.

"Where do we stand?" Cain asked. "Where do we stand? Well, we are standing on the balcony…"

"Julia," Cain cut in. "Well, what do you mean then?" Julia asked. "When we spend time together, when we danced, when we…" Cain stepped closer, and titled her head up so she looked at him. "Kissed. How did you feel?" Cain asked.

Julia opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I…I…"

Cain raised his eyebrows, not sure how to feel. Julia sighed. "I have to go…" Julia said, pushing on his chest and walking past him.

"Julia!" Cain called. Julia turned around to face him, slightly frustrated. "What?!" she snapped. "I still love you," Cain said, in a soft voice.

Julia froze. She felt tears coming to her eyes. She realized how much she wanted to run out into Cain's arms right now.

_No, don't fall in love with him…_

"Cain…" she said. She noticed that Cain's eyes were slightly watery like hers, as he blinked off some tears.

"I miss you too, Cain…" she replied. Cain looked up, slightly surprised. "But I'm getting married. I don't have a choice….I'm sorry Cain…" Julia said, looking at the ground.

Cain sighed. "I understand. You have a kingdom relying on you. I don't want to be the reason for your fall. If you tell me right not what you never want to talk to me, or even see me again after tonight, I'll go away. But…its not going to make me stop thinking about you," Cain said.

"I don't want you to leave, but I'm afraid if you don't Paxton will do something horrible to you. So I think it'd be best for us not to talk again, or see each other in private like this…until after the wedding. We probably shouldn't even think about each other…as hard as it may be," Julia suggested.

"So you want me to stay, but you just don't want to talk to me anymore?" Cain asked. "It's not that I don't want to talk to you, Cain. Its that I just can't…it's the way it has to be…" Julia replied. "So I see…" Cain said, looking downcast.

"I'm sorry but this is how it has to be…I really am sorry, Cain…" Julia muttered. "Well, if this is the last time we talk…then guess this is goodbye. So…goodbye…Julia…" Cain trailed. Julia nodded. "Goodbye Cain," she said, firmly. Cain watched her for a second, before stepping towards her and embracing her in a tight hug.

"Be careful, Julia…" Cain said, in a shay voice. Julia whimpered slightly, before Cain pulled away. Julia stared up at him, resisting the urge to kiss him. Cain walked past her, closing the doors behind him. Julia pressed her back against the door, and slid down so she was sitting on the ground. She held her face in her hands, crying softly.

Meanwhile on the other side of the door, a tin man allowed the tears spill down his face, mourning the loss of someone he loved…again…


	36. Chapter 36

"Julia! Julia! For god sakes!" Rodney moved so she was standing infront of her. "Helloooo…" she said, moving a hand infront of her face. Julia blinked a few times. "What? Sorry…" she said. Rodney sighed. "Come on, you have an engagement ball to attend to. You are getting married in two days! Lavender Eyes and Ahamo are here now, and so are about a thousand other people waiting for us to walk down the stairs…" Rodney said, pulling her arm.

Julia stood up, and smoothed the black halter dress over her athletic curves. "Sorry…" she said. "You alright? You've been acting so weird. Especially since you and Cain haven't spoken for about three weeks…" Rodney said, with a hard stare.

Julia sighed. She hadn't realized it had been three weeks. Three weeks since their last conversations, other than the casual 'hello' or 'princess' as greetings when they passed by in the hallways. Three weeks since their last embrace. It was a dangerous thought, but she couldn't help but wonder if Cain's words and feelings had changed in the few weeks they had been apart.

I still love you…

Julia looked up at her sister. "You're right….let's go…" she said, walking out of the room. Rodney followed her sisters suddenly quickening pace. Rodney raised an eyebrow. She was going to find out the reason for her strange behavior.

Wyatt Cain greeted his son as he walked in with princess DG and her family. "How you been, son?" he asked. Jeb shrugged. "DG and I are pretty serious now…" he said, blushing slightly. Cain returned the smile. "Oh?" he asked. "Yes, I was thinking about…proposing…" Jeb whispered. Cain smiled, even though any thoughts of engagement were painful for him to think about.

There was a wave of silence, and Cain and Jeb turned to see the King and Queen from the Abrah kingdom walking down the steps. Once they reached the bottom, Rodney walked down the steps with Glitch. Cain smiled. He was happy for his best friend. The love between Rodney and Glitch was clear. Cain admired their love. He never saw Glitch smile so much until he and Rodney got together.

Then the King took his place on the bottom step again. "Now, I would like to announce the royal engagement of Princess Julia and Prince Paxton…" he said. There was a roar of applause as the pair walked down the steps. Cain looked down at the ground. If he looked at her, he might not be able to control himself. "Hey dad, is it just me or does Julia's smile look totally fake?" Jeb asked.

"I….I guess…." Cain said, looking at the floor. "Um, dad…she's….up there…" Jeb said, pointing towards her. Cain lifted his gaze from the floor and looked towards the stairs. He saw Julia joining her sister at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was half up and half down, her angles were neatly across her forehead. She was wearing a black halter top that showed some cleavage. That's when he noticed her smile. Jeb was right, she was faking it.

"Aren't you going to go talk to her?" DG asked, from her spot next to Jeb. Cain looked at the ground again. "No…" he said, walking to go talk to Ahamo.

Rodney had gotten several offers from different men to dance, but she refused almost all of them. The only man her dancing was reserved for was Glitch. Rodney couldn't help but notice that her sister would run over to the drink table after almost every dance. Rodney chose to ignore it, and then she realized that was the wrong idea. During one of her dances with Glitch, a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

Rodney turned around, aggravated. "I'm not going to dance with….oh…Paxton…" Rodney said, with a sigh of relief. "Hello, soon to be sister of mine…" Paxton said, with a smile. Rodney nodded in acknowledgement. "I was wondering if you've seen my fiancé anywhere…." Paxton trailed. Rodney widened her eyes slightly.

"Oh…powder room, maybe?" she asked. Paxton sighed. "Well, I can't check there so…" he said, rolling his eyes.

Rodney sighed. "Be right back…be back, Glitch…" she said, kissing Glitch's cheek. Rodney looked around and saw Cain talking to Ahamo. She walked over to him. "Cain," she said. Cain turned to face her. "Hi," he said, with a small smile. "Have you seen my sister?" Rodney asked. Cain's smile faded, and he looked away. "No, I haven't…" he said. Rodney raised her eyebrows.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between the two of you…because it's really weird…but she's been missing…" Rodney said. Cain turned back to look at her. "Missing? Maybe she is mingling…" Cain suggested. Rodney folded her arms. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Yea…" Cain replied. Rodney bit her lip in frustration. "Let's make this simple…you will help me find her…" Rodney said, growling slightly.

Cain stared at her for a second, before setting down his cup. "Fine…I'll go this way…" he said, walking in one direction. Rodney sighed. She watched Glitch approach her. "You know what I don't get? It's a fancy event and he still wears his tin man uniform and that hat…" he said. Rodney turned around and gave him an amused smile as a reply. "Come on…help me look…" she said, pulling her after him.


	37. Chapter 37

Cain had checked various rooms through out the level, but so far no success. He saw one last room that was in the corner. He sighed, and pushed open the door expecting to see an empty room. Instead, he saw Julia sitting in the middle of the room, infront of the couch.

She looked up when she heard him come in. "This is where it happened. Neal was killed….right here!" she said, slamming her hand down on the spot. "Hah, did you hear that, Cain? Boom!" she said, slamming her hand down again.

Cain raised his eyebrows. "Julia, how much have you had to drink?" he asked. Julia stood up, her knees shaking slightly. She began too sway. "Oh, I don't know…I just kept going and going and…whoops!" Julia tripped over her own feet and fell backwards onto the couch.

"You are ridiculously drunk," Cain stated. Julia stood up again, staggering slightly. "Oh no. I'm far from it, in fact I think I'm going to go have a few more…" she said, walking towards him. Cain stood infront of the doors. "Can't let you do that…" he said.

Julia began to whine. "Come on, Cain. Just one more…" she whined. Cain put his hands on her bare shoulders. Cain shivered slightly. It was the first time he had touched her in three weeks. "No. You need to get to bed…" Cain said, firmly.

Julia looked at him and giggled slightly. "Only if you come with me…" she said, placing her hands on his chest as she stepped closer to him. Cain furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What? Did you hear what you just said?" he questioned.

"Isn't that what you want, anyway? You want to…feel my body against yours…my lips on yours….your hands running through my hair. Isn't that what you want, tin man?" she asked. She buried her face in his neck, and began to give it soft kisses. "Julia, this isn't you. It's the alcohol that's talking," Cain stated. Julia pulled away from him, and laughed slightly.

"Alcohol can't talk, Cain. The words are coming from my mouth aren't they?" she asked. She plopped herself down on the couch. Cain watched her, cautiously. Julia sighed. "I'm vulnerable now, Cain. My fiancé isn't here so if you want to have your way with me, go ahead. I'm too….whoo…to stop you. I think the alcohol is wearing off…better hurry…" she said, with a small smile.

"No, I can't. I won't…" Cain said, shaking his head. "Why? You told me that you still loved me, why would you want to pass up something like this?" she asked, confused. "Because, its not what you really want. I don't want to take advantage of you and make you do something you don't want to do. I'm not that kind of person. Paxton is your man. I don't want to take you from him. As much as I want to be the right guy for you…I can't just force something on you…" Cain said, before turning to walk away.

"Paxton isn't my man…" Julia spoke up. Cain turned to face her again. Julia stood up and began to walk towards him. "I don't love him. I told you this…" she said, softly. Cain watched as she approached him.

"Infact, I don't even respect him. I'm not even sure that I will be able to stand being in the same room as him…let alone the same bed…I know I'm not going to be happy with him. I can tell you that right off the bat," Julia said, looking at the ground.

"What do you mean, you don't respect him or can't stand him?" Cain questioned. "I can't answer that…" Julia quickly replied.

"Julia…" Cain said, now a few inches away. Julia looked up at him. "If he's doing something to hurt you, please tell me. It's not right…you don't deserve to be treated wrong…" Cain said. Julia sighed. "Why can't I marry someone like you?" she asked. Cain smiled slightly. They both leaned in, their lips inches apart. Then there was a knock on the door.

Cain stepped to the side, and Paxton entered the room. "Here you are!" Paxton said, with a sigh of relief. Julia narrowed her eyes. "Who are you again?" she asked. Paxton raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

Cain cleared his throat. "I was about to…check her pupils. They are really dilated. She's had too much to drink," Cain said, looking over at him nervously. Paxton raised both of his eyebrows. "Oh. In celebration….I presume?" he questioned. Julia nodded her head.

"Just ready to rock and roll down that loooong green isle! Whoo!" She said, punching Paxton in the shoulder. Paxton cleared his throat, and looked at the ground. "Um…right…" he muttered. A few seconds later, Rodney appeared at the door.

"Rodney!" Julia said, throwing herself at her sister. "Uh…is she okay?" Rodney asked, trying to squirm out of the hug. "She's drunk…" Cain said, in a casual tone.

Rodney finally pulled away from her sister, and looked at her. Julia grinned at her, before she began to giggle. "Oh, she's worse than me…um….let me take her to her room…" Rodney said, putting Julia's arm around her one shoulder. "Why don't I take her back?" Paxton asked. Rodney turned to look at him. "No. This is a sister thing…" she said, before making her way down the hall.

"Who was that guy with the hat?" Julia asked. "Cain…" Rodney replied. "Oh…he's attractive…very attractive…" Julia said, before giggling slightly. Rodney groaned, and kicked open the door to Julia's room. "What is he your boyfriend?" Julia questioned. "No!" Rodney yelled. Rodney curled her lip up in disgust. "No way. Yuck…he's like a brother…and he's not attractive at all…" Rodney said, leading Julia towards her bed.

"Is he mine?" Julia asked, sounding hopeful. Rodney helped her sit on the bed. "You're getting married in two days, Julia. To Paxton…" Rodney said, with a sigh. Julia frowned slightly. "But I don't want to marry him…" she muttered, looking down at the floor. Rodney looked at her. "What?" she asked.

"I want…what you and Glitch have, Rod. I…I remember now. You and Glitch…the perfect pair. I can see the love when you look at each other. It's a look I really wish I could see on the man of my choice…the man I want to be….the man I love…" Julia trailed. She began to tear up. "What's it feel like, Rodney? If it's as beautiful as it looks….you are so lucky…" Julia said.

Rodney sat on the bed with her. "I can't explain it. Everything just feels right. Being with him…it makes me feel like I have no flaws when I'm with him. I don't care that people think we shouldn't be together, and that I should be with a prince. Glitch is perfect…." Rodney said, with a small smile.


	38. Chapter 38

Paxton had strayed away from the party. He was going to go check on his fiancé. He didn't know what it was, but he felt a compulsion to. Maybe it was the fact that everytime his fiancé had gone missing, it was Cain she would be with. If not with her sister and her sisters lover, she would be with Cain. When it came to Julia everything seemed Cain, Cain, Cain!

For all he knew, Cain could have slipped away and went to Julia's room. He could be in bed with her for all he knew. It was highly unlikely, but he couldn't just avoid the thought. He approached her room, and saw that the door was partially opened. He could hear the voices of Rodney and Julia as he stood in the door frame.

"Jul, I hate to say this…but I'm actually happy that you got wasted tonight. Now I know how you really feel…"

"What are you talking about?"

"You've kept all your emotions held in all this time. It's about time you admitted your true feelings…"

"What, that I don't love Paxton? I thought that was clearly obvious…"

"That I knew. I'm talking about how you really feel about Cain,"

Paxton clenched the doorknob angrily.

"You really do care for him…don't you, Jul?"

There was a pause for a few seconds.

"I need to get to bed….I have a wedding that I despise in two days….with the wrong man. Good night," Julia muttered.

Paxton gritted his teeth, before turning around and walking down the hallway. He spotted the four men that would be in his wedding party. One of the men with the jet black hair turned to face him.

"There he is! How is the groom doing?" he asked. Paxton stepped forward and put his hand on his shoulder. "Jasper…how would you and the boys feel about getting alittle blood on your hands tonight?" he asked, with a wicked smirk. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "I could go for it…" he said. Paxton smiled. "Good. We've got a tin man to take care of…" he said, motioning for them to follow him.

"No, Glitch!" Cain said, rolling his eyes. "Please Cain. You always wear your hat, can't I give it a try?" Glitch asked, with a small whine. Cain turned to look at him. "No," he said, for the fifth time. Glitch sighed. "One year later, and I still think you don't have a heart…" Glitch said, folding his arms.

"Yea…sometimes I think so too…" Cain said, staring into the horizon at the full moon. He heard Glitch scoff. "Glitch I already…." Cain paused when he saw Paxton approach with four other men.

"What do you want this time? In case you haven't noticed…I haven't talked to your fiancé for three weeks. Whatever you saw tonight, was just one friend comforting another…." Cain said. Paxton stared at him for a second. "So you are over her, completely?" he questioned.

"How can you get over something that never was?" Cain asked. Paxton stepped forward and grabbed Cain by the lapels of his coat. He pushed Cain up against the balcony ledge. "Wrong answer," he said, before punching him across the face. Glitch moved forward to help, but two of the men grabbed him under his arms and held him back.

Cain turned to look back at Paxton, anger in his eyes. "Look, the tin man is losing it. Finally showing his true colors…" Paxton said. He went to punch Cain again, but this time Cain was ready. He grabbed Paxton's stray arm, and punched him hard in the stomach. Paxton bent over, as the other two men with Paxton grabbed Cain and held him against the balcony.

Paxton stood up. "Its about time you decided to fight back…" he said, hitting Cain in the stomach. He lifted Cain's face up, before kneeing him in the face. The two men laughed, as they continued to hold Cain back.

"Leave him alone!" Glitch yelled, struggling. Paxton turned to look at him. "You can kiss your bride in a minute…" he growled. Glitch began to breathe heavily, in anger. Paxton turned back to Cain, and lifted Cain's face with his hand so Cain looked at him. "I know I'll be kissing mine in two days…on that altar. The one I know you wish you were with…" Paxton said, with a evil glare.

Cain struggled to keep his eyes open. Paxton leaned in closer. "How's it feel to see the thing you want most, get taken away from you?" he asked. When Cain didn't reply, Zero smiled. He drew his fist back and gave Cain a final punch across the face. He nodded for the guards to let Cain go. As soon as they did, Cain fell to the floor. The other two let Glitch go, and he immediately rushed to Cain's side.

Paxton laughed. "Maybe I'll go visit your girlfriend before I go to bed tonight, Zipperhead. Show her what its like to be with a real man…" Paxton said. Glitch stood up. "Don't you even think about touching her…" Glitch growled. Paxton laughed again, and was joined by his friends. "I won't touch her…" her said, before walking away.

Glitch turned back to Cain. "Cain…Cain?" he asked. Cain looked up at him. "We need to get you to the hospital wing," Glitch said, helping his friend to stand up. "No. Don't take me there…take me back to my room," Cain stated. "But…but Cain…"

"Now, Glitch!" Cain snapped. Glitch smiled slightly. "Got the socks knocked off of you and you still got that attitude," he said, walking Cain towards his room.

They were almost near his room, when Glitch spotted Rodney. "Rodney!" Glitch called, in a sharp whisper. Rodney turned to face them, and her eyes widened. "Oh, my goodness!" she said, rushing towards them. "What happened?" she asked, looking at a heavily beaten Cain. She had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Paxton," Glitch replied. Rodney sighed. "This is getting to out of hand…I have to go get Julia…" Rodney said, turning away. Cain reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Don't…" he said. "Why not?" Rodney asked, impatient. "I don't want her to see me like this…please…" he said. Rodney sighed. "Fine. At least let me go find Raw…" she said, walking down the hallway….


	39. Chapter 39

It was the day. The three month period was up. Julia stood in the back room while the seamstresses fixed her dress. She thought the dress was beautiful. A creamy white, strapless dress with a white bow on the back that rested just above her butt. All brides were supposed to be smiling on the day of their wedding. She had her something old, something new, and something blue. She had her bridal party that consisted of DG, Azkadellia, and her sister Rodney.

Aiden was going to be the ring boy. She felt guilty for not looking after Aiden for the past month or so. He had mostly been taken care of Azkadellia. She remembered her conversation with him yesterday…

"Mommy, I missed you…" Aiden said, hugging her around her legs. "I know Aiden. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in awhile. How did you like DG and Azkadellia's palace?" she asked, lifting him up. "I missed you and mommy Rodney…" Aiden said. At that moment, Rodney had walked in the room. "Look who is back," she said, before stroking his hair.

_Aiden turned to look at Julia. "Mommy, why aren't you marrying Mr. Cowboy?" Aiden asked. Julia frowned, and set Aiden down. "Because…mommy's mommy wanted Julia to marry Paxton. Mommy wants to do what her mommy wanted her to do," she said, with a small smile. Aiden looked up at her with a frown. "Aiden?" Rodney asked. _

"_I want you to marry Mr. Cowboy…" Aiden said, before walking away. Julia stared after him, before turning to Rodney. "Its amazing isn't it?" Rodney asked, before following Aiden out the door…_

Julia felt a few tears leak from her eyes. The door opened and the seamstress's left. "Hey…" came the voice of Rodney. Julia turned to look at her. "How is he?" Julia asked. Rodney sighed. She had wondered if it was the right thing to do, telling Julia about the beating Cain had gotten from Paxton. "He's fine. He's stationed on guard outside the castle…I think for the best. His wounds are all healed…" Rodney said, with a sigh.

Julia shrugged. "What is this? Other than the tale of a two princess's who were hiding away from something they were destined to be…only to be faced with more challenges that they wished they never came across?" Julia asked. The door opened and DG came in with Azkadellia. "Um…they are waiting…whenever you are ready…" Azkadellia said.

Julia looked down at the ground. "You never told me…what's it feel like?" she asked. "What?" Rodney questioned.

"Being with Glitch…I see the way you two look at each other. It's a look I haven't seen on your face since you were with Hugh. You love Glitch, don't you?" Julia asked, raising her eyes to meet Rodney's.

Rodney smiled slightly. "I do. The question is…we all know you don't love Paxton…so why are you doing this?" Rodney asked, walking towards her.

"Because it's mother's wish…" Julia replied. "There has to be another way," Azkadellia spoke up. Julia shook her head. "No, there is not…" she replied.

"But…you can't stand Paxton…" DG pointed out. Julia nodded in agreement. "And Cain loves you…" Azkadellia said. Julia looked back at the ground, tearing up. "I know…" she said, her voice cracking slightly. "You love him, Cain, don't you?" Rodney asked. Julia covered her eyes with her hand and began to cry alittle harder.

DG put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Maybe there is something we can do about it…" she suggested. Julia smiled slightly. "Like what? Kill me?" she asked.

"That's not a bad idea…" Azkadellia said, with a shrug. Julia smiled weakly, just as the door burst open. Glitch stood there.

"Guys, I'm sorry but….they are getting restless out there. I think you all know who I mean by restless…" Glitch said, rolling his eyes.

"Paxton…" they all said, in a mocking tone. Julia inhaled deeply. "Okay…let's go…"


	40. Chapter 40

All girls dream of beautiful weddings. They dream of marrying the man of their dreams, infront of all the people they love, and wherever they wanted. But as Julia walked up the aisle and heard the wedding march play, she realized that she was missing almost all of these things. She wasn't getting married in the place she wanted to be, even though it was in their palace. She wasn't infront of everyone she loved.

Most importantly, she wasn't marrying the man that she loved. As she approached the aisle, a million things were running through her head. The first thing she noticed was the smile her sister Rodney gave Glitch as she watched him from her spot on the altar. The second thing she noticed was how Paxton's mother seemed uneasy. The other thing she noticed was the anxious look both Paxton and his father were sharing.

Julia watched as Paxton stepped down from the altar and extended his hand to Julia. She looked down at his hand. If she took it, then she would be committing the rest of her life to him. Julia felt her muscles tighten, as she slowly reached out and took his hand. Paxton smiled and turned to walk towards the altar.

"Wait," she said, pulling him back towards her. Paxton turned to face her, with a raised eyebrow. "Paxton, what color are my eyes?" she asked. Paxton closed his eyes and sighed. "Julia, this isn't time for your little games…" he said. "Paxton, now!" Julia growled. Paxton opened his eyes, and bent down slightly. "Brown…now, come on…" he said, pulling her towards the altar….

The ceremony was coming near its end, but she wished it wouldn't. All she could think about was what her life would be like with a man who seemed annoyed by the fact of a small question. She didn't want the ceremony to end, she didn't want to be a wife. She didn't want to leave her kingdom. She looked up to see the priest smiling at them, holding a goblet.

"To seal the bond, I ask that the bride and groom drink from the same goblet of wine and then sign the document, then you will officially be husband and wife…" he said, with a smile. Paxton reached forward and took the goblet from the priest. "Then…we will exchange the rings…" the priest added. Paxton took a drink from the cup, and then handed it to Julia.

He moved over and signed the document. Once he finished, he looked up at her with a somewhat glare. Julia bit her lip nervously, as she slowly began to bring the cup towards her face. She felt the rim touch her lips. It was cold. She closed her eyes, knowing that she had to do it. But in that moment that she closed her eyes, memories began to flood through her mind.

Paxton hitting her, Paxton glaring at her, Paxton making her serve him as if she was a slave, Paxton being disrespectful to Rodney, Paxton constantly forgetting her name, Paxton condescending her, Paxton beating up Cain…

She opened her eyes.

Meeting Cain, Hugging Cain, Dancing with Cain, Talking with Cain, Laughing with Cain, Cain remembering what color her eyes were without looking, Cain protecting her from Zero, Cain saving her from Zero…Cain kissing her…

Julia slowly lowered the goblet from her mouth. "Princess Julia…is there a problem?" the priest asked. Julia had the cup lowered towards her stomach level. She looked up at the priest. "Uh…" she began. Her eyes shifted over to Rodney, who widened her eyes slightly. Julia looked at DG and Azkadellia, before looking back with Rodney. She smirked slightly. She opened her hands, as the goblet fell to the floor and the glass shattered everywhere.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the air. She felt the tears coming to her eyes again. She realized that she had hurt the man she really loved, and now she was stuck. She turned away from the altar, and lifted up her dress slightly. She kept her gaze to the floor as she bolted for the door.

Paxton turned to face Rodney, looking furious. There was a light whisper amongst the guests. Rodney narrowed her eyes at Paxton in slight success. Paxton walked over to her. "There are a thousand people here, and they did not come to see a bride walk out on her wedding!" he growled. He stepped directly infront of her.

Rodney shrugged. "I really…don't care. But I guess its too bad for you…no bride…" she paused to shrug again. "No wedding," she added. Paxton gritted his teeth, and turned towards his father and mother. The King strode towards the altar, his wife trailing behind. "What is going on here? Is this all just an act or something? If it is, Rodney, its not funny. Get your sister back here…now!" he demanded.

Glitch walked up to the altar, and turned the king so he was facing him. "Hey!" he said. The King sneered at him. "What?" he growled.

Glitch paused for a second. "No!" he snapped. The King blinked in confusion. It was then that Ahamo and Lavender Eyes joined the party at the altar. "Let's not make this a big scene…maybe she needs some time to think…" Lavender Eyes said, calmly. Paxton turned to face her, angry.

"No…I know exactly where she is going…" he hissed. He turned to his wedding party. "Find her before he does!" he snapped. The four men nodded, before scattering away. Paxton looked at Rodney, before pulling her closer. "If she is with that Tin Man, you're dead…" he growled. Rodney turned to look at him. "Then you'll have to kill me…" she whispered.

Glitch rushed forward and pushed Paxton away from Rodney. "Don't touch her," he snapped. Rodney put a comforting hand on Glitch's shoulder. There was a murmur from the crowd of people, as they all began to mutter their thoughts.

Paxton turned to his father, before rushing out the side door. The turned to face Rodney, with a glare. Rodney smiled slightly. The King then followed his son out the door.

Rodney heard a soft sob and she turned to see Paxton's mother crying slightly. "Oh. It's a stupid wedding…what are you so upset about?" she snapped. The Queen sat down on the altar, crying even more. "I told them it was a horrible plan…" she cried. Rodney looked at Glitch, before looking back at her. "What are you talking about?" she asked. The Queen looked up at her…


	41. Chapter 41

Julia approached the courtyard, and spotted a stone bench. It was under a beautiful cherry blossom tree. She sighed, before slowly approaching the bench. The bottom of her white dress was getting dirty from all the loose mud. She slowly sat down on the bench, crying slightly. She folded her hands and placed them on her lap. Now she had definitely ruined everything…

Wyatt Cain had caught wind that the wedding had been interrupted. He couldn't help but feel relieved. He didn't know what had caused the interruption, but he knew wit didn't matter anyway. She was going to get married no matter what he did. He didn't even want to watch the wedding. Instead he told Rodney that he would volunteer to be on security detail on the outside of the castle, wearing his tin man uniform.

A few soft cries surprised him. He looked up to see Julia sitting on a stone bench, underneath a cherry blossom tree branch. He smiled slightly. "There you are…" he muttered. He approached the tree, and rested his right arm against it. He tilted his head. "I take it those aren't tears of joy," Cain stated.

Julia turned around, and blinked in surprise. "Cain…"

Cain showed her a small smile. "Sorry I'm…I was just…" she paused to sigh, before turning away from him. Cain titled his head, before walking over and sitting next to her on the bench. "Want to talk about it?" he asked, somewhat reluctantly.

"I just couldn't do it…" she said, shaking her head. Cain's head turned back towards her, in surprise. "Wait, you…left the wedding?" he asked, completely surprised.

Julia nodded. "Ran, actually…" she said, with a small smirk. She took the veil of her head and tossed it to the ground. She reached back and ripped her hair out of the low sectioned bun, so her loose blonde waves framed her face.

"I couldn't live with someone like that, but…I've let my mother down," Julia said, with a disappointed sigh. Cain shook his head. "No…no you didn't…" he said. Julia turned to look at him.

"I never knew your mother, but trust me, I think she would be proud of you for saving your family from this…problem. Your mom would want you to be with someone who takes care of you, not hurts you…" Cain said, smiling warmly.

Julia looked down for a second, before her eyes met his. "You have blue eyes, Cain…" she said. Cain's forehead creased in confusion. "What?" he asked. Julia shifted slightly, so she was fully facing him. "When you are happy, or doing what you love…your eyes have a light in them. When you are watching Jeb, Aiden or talking to Rodney and Glitch, your laugh and your smile show in your eyes. Then when you are looking at me…I see comfort, love, care…and when you look at me…I'm home…" Julia said, tears clouding her vision.

Cain's expression softened, at the sight of the tears that slowly began to slide down her face. "You said to me that…after this wedding you'd have to go back to Lavender Eyes Kingdom…but I can't do this…because then I have to watch you go, and I don't want you to," Julia said, shaking her head. Cain smiled and slid closer to her. "Well, looks like I'm not going anywhere…" he said, with a teasing expression.

Julia smiled slightly. "Were you and Glitch really going to leave?"

Cain smiled. "Glitch leave Rodney? Come on, you see how they are together…nothing is going to keep them apart…" he said. Julia laughed for a few seconds. "Seriously…" she said.

Cain shook his head. "No,"

Julia hesitated for a second, before looking at him. "I lied to you…" she said. Cain tilted his head. "About what?" he asked.

Julia slid closer to Cain, so she was almost right up against him. She brought her hand to the side of his face, and titled her head up and kissed him softly for a few seconds. She pulled away, but her lips were still inches from his own. "I do love you," she stated.

She saw a smile on Cain's lips, as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Julia!" came the yell of Paxton. Cain sighed. "He always does that,"

Julia leaned to the side to look behind Cain, and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh my god," she said, standing up. Cain turned to see Paxton walking towards them, looking disheveled and breathing heavily. He had two swords in his hands, and he threw one on the ground at Cain's feet. "Pick up the sword, Tin Man. I want to make it look like I killed a wannabe hero," he said, breathing heavily.

"Paxton, you're insane…" Julia said. "Maybe so, my dear. But he is the one stopping this marriage from happening and it needs to happen…" he said, breathing heavily. He kept his sword pointed at Cain. Cain sighed, before standing up infront of Julia.

"No, I'm not going to fight you…its childish…" Cain said, shaking his head. Paxton exhaled heavily. "Fool…then I shall behead you like the stag I caught four nights ago…" he hissed. Cain continued to stand still, his eyes boring into Paxton's, Paxton's eyes boring into his. "Cain…" Julia said, worried.

Cain raised his arm. "Just wait…" he said, patiently. Paxton raised his sword, and took a step towards Cain. It was then that there was the sound of a gunshot. Paxton froze for a second, before screaming out in pain. He bent over, clutching his arm. The sword clattered as it hit the ground. Julia looked up to see Rodney standing with Glitch, holding a small black handgun. She titled her head in confusion.

Cain stepped forward and grabbed Paxton by his shoulder, before punching him across the face. Paxton grunted slightly, as Cain brought him back and punched him across the face again. Julia stepped forward and grabbed Cain's arm, before he could hit him a third time. "Cain, don't. Don't be like him…" she said, shaking her head. Cain looked at Paxton, before dropping his arm to his side.

Paxton took the opportunity to stand up, clutching his arm as he did so. "Paxton, my boy!" came the voice of King Ronald. They turned to see him running towards them. "Who did this to you?" he asked, overlooking his son. "That would be me," Rodney said, with a proud grin. "And me," Cain spoke up.

"You both should be hung for treason!" the King roared. "For what? In case you haven't noticed…your on Ligark soil," Julia said.

King Ronald turned to face her. "You! Get back in there and get on that altar!"

Julia shook her head. "Um…no,"

King Ronald began to walk towards her. "Then I will drag you back there," he growled. Cain stepped infront of Julia again, with a glowering look. The King backed away slightly, and it was then they both heard the sound of another gun cocking. Cain turned around to see Julia standing there with a small silver handgun. Cain moved his trench coat to the side, to see that his gun was still there. He looked back at her.

"Where did you get that?" he asked. "My dress," Julia said, with a shrug. "Where…did you put it?" he asked, tilting his head. Julia smiled. "Not important…"

Cain's eyes overlooked her. "Um…how did it fit?" he asked. Rodney rolled her eyes. "You would hide a handgun in your dress," she said.

King Ronald smirked. "So what are you going to do now…shoot us?" he asked.

"No. Why don't you start by telling them out the truth?" came Ahamo's voice. The small group looked over to see Ahamo approaching with Lavender Eyes, DG, Azkadellia, and about five other tin men. They saw that they had Paxton's mother in custody.

"What have you done with my wife?" King Ronald asked, enraged. Lavender Eyes turned to face him. "She told us everything, Ronald…" she snapped. Julia lowered her gun, and looked at Rodney. "What are you talking about?" she asked, looking back the approaching group. "Everything? What does that mean?" Rodney questioned.

Ahamo sighed. "They aren't the real royal family. They are fakes,"

Rodney began to breathe heavily. "What!?"

Ahamo turned to her. "That's not all. They were the ones who planned the siege on your kingdom. They teamed up with Zero and the Bauns,"

Lavender Eyes looked at Julia, before continuing. "They took your mother. Held her hostage, for all of these years. They were convinced that you weren't dead since your bodies were nowhere to be found. Then when they found out that you really were alive…they freed the longcoats and summoned the Baguns. When they heard you escaped…" Lavender Eyes paused and averted her eyes to the ground.

Julia stepped around Cain and approached her. "What happened?" she asked. "Whatever you say, it can't make the situation worse…" Rodney said, shaking her head. Lavender Eyes continued to stare down at the ground. Ahamo put a comforting hand on her shoulder, before looking at them.

"They forced your mother to write the note, then…they killed her," Ahamo finished. Rodney began to shake slightly. "So, our mother was alive all this time until a few months ago?" she asked. The Queen began to cry.

King Ronald turned to face her. "How could you let it spill!? Everything was fine until now!" he roared, his face turning red. "I couldn't do it anymore…" the Queen sobbed. Paxton stepped towards her. "You wait until we get out of here. I don't care that you are my mother. You are dead!" he growled.

"You think you are just going to get out of this?! You sabotaged our kingdom! You killed all those we loved! You killed our mother!" Rodney cried out, getting slightly hysterical. Glitch turned to look at her. "Rodney…" he said, in a soft voice.

"You heartless monsters! What is wrong with you?!" Rodney continued. Glitch stepped forward and embraced her tightly. Rodney buried her face in his shoulder, her sobs loud. Azkadellia turned to look at Julia, who was staring at the ground. "Julia?" she asked. DG turned to look at Azkadellia, worried.

"Get…them…out of here," Julia trailed. Jeb looked at the Queen. "What about her?" he asked.

"All of them…" she said, clenching her fist as she continued to stare at the ground. Ahamo nodded to the tin man, and they arrested both Paxton and his father. Paxton began to struggle as they dragged him away. "This isn't over Julia! You are so going to get it!" he yelled. Rodney pulled away from Glitch, and wiped her eyes.

"Put the Queen in a separate chamber," she ordered. DG turned to look at Jeb. He smiled and extended his hand to her, and they walked away together. The rest of the group soon followed suite, leaving the two pairs still standing there. Julia continued to stare at the ground.

"I can't believe it…we let those murderers into our home…" she said, shaking her head. Glitch put a hand on her shoulder. "Well you are free from them now…they aren't going to bother you anymore. I can promise you that…" Glitch said, smiling at her. Rodney smiled at him, before turning to look at her sister.

"He's right. We are free now. We won't have to rule separately, we can live here…" she paused to smile at Glitch. "We can choose our own men,"

Julia looked up at the three of them. "You're right…we are free now, but I can't help but be mad at myself. I let that cold hearted, abusive, jackass overpower me…" she said, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Wait a minute…" Cain said, before stepping closer to her. "This guy hit you?" he asked.

"Many times…but I wasn't the only victim…" she said, before looking over at Rodney. Rodney looked down at the ground.

"He hit you? Where did he go? Where did they take him? How dare he hit you…" Glitch said, starting to pace. Rodney smiled slightly. "It's okay Glitch…" she said. Glitch stopped infront of her. "No, its not. It's not right…" he said, shaking his head.

Cain turned to look at Julia. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. "Because whenever he did hit either one of us, he said that if we told…he would kill both of you…" Julia replied. Glitch turned to look at Rodney. "Rodney, don't worry about me. If someone is hurting you, I want you to come to me. Don't worry about what will happen to me," he said. Rodney stared into his eyes. "I didn't want to see you hurt," she whispered. Glitch reached up and stroked her hair softly.

Cain looked at Julia again. "All those times you avoided me, you were trying to protect me?" Cain asked. Julia nodded in reply. "But why would you let him treat you that way? Why would you keep doing what he wants you to do…against your will, and doing what makes you uncomfortable…to save us?" he asked.

Julia shrugged. "Because…people say…people do crazy things for the ones they love. I didn't want to see you, Rodney, Glitch or even Aiden hurt…." She paused to look down at the ground. "And I failed…he still hurt all of you…"

Cain stepped forward and pressed his forehead against hers, even with his hat still on. "It was a beat worth taking…because it brought me closer to you," he said, with a smile. Julia tilted her head up, slightly. She saw Cain smiling at her, inches away. Julia smiled, before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. Cain slid his hands around her back and pulled her body against his, returning the kiss.

Glitch raised his eyebrows. "Wow…" he said. Rodney folded her arms. "Yea…wow…" she stated.

They watched as Julia parted her mouth slightly, before Cain began to deepen the kiss.

Glitch laughed nervously. "They are still going at it…and he is still wearing that hat…" he said.

Rodney's face cringed up in slight disgust. It was one of those things that it was so cute, it was almost sick to look at.

"Yea…um…yea…okay…" she said, before clearing her throat. Both Julia and Cain stopped and turned to face her, but their arms were still around each other.

"It's great that you finally got that out of your system but…please…we have all those guests to send home. They kinda gotta go," she said, laughing nervously. Julia slid her arms out from around Cain. "Just because you and Glitch can't kiss that good?" she asked.

Glitch curled his face up in slight disgust. "At least we don't try to eat each other…" he said, pointedly. Rodney nodded in agreement. "Yea, ours are cute…yours are…well…yours…" she said, with a shrug. Cain looked at Julia, before looking back at Rodney and Glitch. "Alright, take two then…" he said, gently pulling Julia back into him. He tilted her head up, before kissing her softly.

Julia pulled away, and smiled at him before turning to Rodney. "Better, but still…. 'I want you now'…" Rodney said, rolling her eyes. "What are we going to have to do this all day?" Cain asked. Julia looked up at him. "I wouldn't mind that," she said, smiling at him. Cain blushed slightly, and looked at the ground.

Rodney shook her head. "No…no. That's okay. Come on…let's go!" she said, taking Glitch's hand. Glitch leaned down to whisper in her ear. "We are definitely cuter," he muttered.

Cain looked down at Julia, before taking the gray fedora off his head and placing it on hers. Julia smiled up at him, as Cain took her hand in his.

Glitch turned around to look at them as he heard their footsteps approach. "Hey! How come she gets to wear your hat, when I've been asking you almost every day since we met?" he whined. Cain looked at him. "Because I said so," he said, with a shrug.

There was a thunderclap heard, and the group looked up to see the sky darkening. They all looked at one another, before rushing to cover. They made it to the overpass just in time as the rain started to pour.

Rodney looked out at the rain, before looking at Glitch with a smile. He looked at her, and smiled as well. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. Glitch looked her over. "Do you care if the dress gets wet?" he asked. Rodney shook her head. "Nope," she said. Glitch and her continued to look at each other, before they both ran out into the rain laughing.

They began to jump into the various puddles, and kicked the rain at each other. Glitch then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Rodney from behind. Rodney laughed, before she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. They both leaned forward, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss. Julia smiled at the sight, before looking up at the sky.

"The rain is so calming. It's like all the bad things about the world are getting washed away. I wish it could be that easy for our lives. To get a chance to get a clean slate and start all over again," Julia said, looking up at the dark sky. Cain titled his head and looked at her. "You can…" he said. Julia looked up at him, confused. Cain turned so he was standing directly infront of her. He took both of her hands in his. "Let all the bad thoughts wash away…" he said, with a small smile.

Julia nodded. "Okay," she agreed. Cain moved to step back, but Julia squeezed his hands. "Wait," she said. Cain looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. Julia reached up and took Cain's hat off her head, and placed it back on his. She took his hands in hers again. "Can't let my thoughts wash away with a hat on my head…" she said. Cain smiled at her, before stepping back and gently pulling her into the rain.

Julia felt the rain pour down on her, and she closed her eyes as she and Cain stopped moving. She could heard Rodney and Glitch laughing, the rain hitting the ground, and Cain breathing. Not only could she hear it, but she could feel it. She opened her eyes and smiled up at Cain. She saw the rain dripping from the brim of his hat. It was time for a new start.

Julia stepped forward and hugged Cain, burying her face in his chest. She felt Cain hug her tightly, as he rested his chin ontop of her head. She realized that this was where she wanted to be. In the arms of Wyatt Cain, Tin Man…


	42. Chapter 42

Wyatt Cain woke up to feel of the warm sun on his face. He groaned as he opened his eyes. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the light. Once they did, he felt another figure move beside him. He looked over and saw Julia resting next to him. Her face was resting close to his. Her hands were buried under the pillow, her arms bent slightly. The sheet was down at her mid back, showing her bare shoulders and bare upperback. Cain smiled at her, before sliding out of the bed.

He picked up his clothes off the floor and began to get changed. He had some business he needed to finish. Once he finished dressing, her turned back towards her. He stepped forward, and pulled the covers up slightly. He bent down and kissed the back of her bare shoulder. At his touch, she stirred slightly. Her eyes were still shut. "Cain?" she asked.

"Shhh…go back to sleep…I'll be back," he hushed. "Okay…" Julia said. Cain kissed her sweetly, before she curled up under the covers. Cain smiled down at her, before turning away. He picked his hat up off the chair and walked out of the room. Once he shut the door, he placed his hat on his head and began to walk down the hallway.

He spotted Rodney and Glitch talking. Rodney nodded to him in acknowledgement. "Cain," she said. Cain returned the nod. "They in there?" he asked, pointing at the door. Rodney nodded. "Both of them," she replied. Glitch looked behind Cain, before looking at him. "Where is Julia?" he asked.

"I told her to go back to sleep…" Cain replied. "Wait a second, did you go to her first?" Rodney questioned. Cain shook his head.

"No, I was there all night. We…." Cain paused and looked away with a small smile.

Rodney crossed her arms and smiled. 'Well, looks like Julia may have gotten her happily-ever-after after all…" she said.

Cain blushed slightly and looked up at the two tin man who were guarding the door. They were also smiling at him. "Um…boys…this shouldn't take long," he said, before pushing open the door. Rodney and Glitch exchanged mischievous smiles, before hi-fiving each other.

As soon as Cain stepped through the door, his eyes set on Paxton. His smile faded and was replaced with a hard glare. Both Paxton and his father were tied to chairs. Paxton smiled slightly.

"Oh look, it's the Tin Man. You're looking rather angry today. What happened, lose your manhood so you tied me to a chair so you could take mine?" he asked.

Glitch chuckled. "Actually, he used his. Last night he and Julia…" He was cut off by Rodney giving him a side look.

"Oh, I see. You've bed the little blondie have you?" Paxton asked. Cain stepped forward and grabbed Paxton by his collar, his faces inches from his. "Shut…up…" he growled, before throwing him back.

"Protective much, aren't ya? Does she really mean that much to you, Tin Man? I mean, sure…both she and her sister are equally attractive but if it weren't for their royalty I wouldn't be with them. Now that you've finally won the magic 'love' word and bed her, you going to move on and leave her laying behind?" Paxton asked.

Cain stepped forward and punched Paxton across the face. "I can't believe you even have the audacity to ask me that question. I'm not you…" Cain responded. Paxton chuckled and turned back to face him. "So I see. You planning on marrying the girl?" he asked.

Cain stared at him. "It's up to her…I'm not going to force her to marry me, if she doesn't want to…like you and your father did…" Cain replied. "But why you? What can you offer her?" Paxton questioned. Cain was silent for a second. He couldn't let this get to him.

"He doesn't need to offer me anything…" came the voice of Julia. Cain, Rodney and Glitch turned to see her with her back pressed against the door. She was wearing a black robe, and her blonde hair was straight and across so it all laid out on her left shoulder.

"Julia…." Cain said. "Julia? Are you sure you want to be here?" Rodney asked, stepping forward and putting her hand on her sister's shoulder. Julia smiled at Rodney, before walking towards Paxton. "I didn't agree to marry you because you were a rich prince, or what you had to offer. No. I agreed to marry you, because I thought my mother wanted it to happen. You were right to suspect, Paxton. About me and Cain. I…was falling for Cain. I would ignore the feelings even though Rodney, Glitch and even Aiden could see it in me. To protect them. But no, you're the one who needs protection and I sure as hell aren't giving it to you. After I found out that you abducted the real King and Queen, sabotaged out kingdom…..and killed my mother and forced her to write that note…" Julia said, sharply.

"Protection from who?" Paxton asked.

"Me,"

"Me,"

"And Me,"

Paxton turned to look at Cain, Rodney and Glitch. He turned to look at Julia. "You going to make them kill me?" he asked. Julia shook her head. "No. I'm not a murderer…" she snapped. Paxton raised his eyebrows as Julia turned to leave. "I've always wondered, not that I care…but why the Tin Man? You're about to become Queen…why a lowly cop?" he asked.

Julia stopped, and then turned to face Paxton. "Because we understand each other. He is someone that I can share the small things in life with. He is great around Aiden, and he's modest. He has a gentle nature, and I trust him…with my life. I know he'd never hurt me, because he has a strong heart. Something you are incapable of having…" she said. She looked at Cain, before walking out.

Rodney watched as Cain stared after her as she shut the door. "Cliché, much?" Paxton asked. King Ronald rolled his eyes. "What do you expect? She is a princess…" he said. Rodney turned to face them. "Shut up, both of you! Just because the two of you are incapable of feeling something doesn't mean that you should ruin it for someone else," she snapped.

King Ronald smiled at her. "Like you should talk, Rodney. You're with a Zipperhead. What's so special about him? All he is…is an empty shell," He said, with a malicious smirk. Rodney moved to hit him, but Glitch grabbed her arm. "Don't…its okay…" Glitch said softly.

Rodney turned to look at him. "No, its not. He doesn't realize how much I admire how much time you spend with Aiden, or that you always find a way to make me laugh…" she paused for a second. "Or that you're the kind of guy I want to spend the rest of my life with…"

They smiled at each other lovingly, and the king rolled his eyes again. "Oh, how…moving. Very well done princess. I've just realized how soft and pathetic you actually are…" he stated.

Glitch stepped forward and punched the king across the face, twice. "I don't care what you say about me, but don't you dare…don't you dare insult Rodney!" Glitch yelled. "Oh…I'd never insult the beautiful and charming Rodney…which is the only thing saving her from her stupidity…" King Ronald retorted.

Glitch moved to hit him again, but Cain stopped him. "No Julia is the blonde one…remember?" Paxton asked, watching Cain's back. Cain turned to look at Paxton, while squeezing Glitch's arm hard. Glitch winced slightly, and looked over at Cain. Cain finally let go of Glitch's arm.

He walked towards King Ronald and Paxton. "Where are the real royal family of the Abrah Kingdom?" he asked. Paxton looked at him. "Even if I told you, it wouldn't do you any good. They are probably completely brainwashed by now…" Paxton trailed. Rodney sneered. "That can easily be fixed," she stated.

Cain grabbed him by his collar. "Where are they?" he asked. Paxton smirked. "My secret…" he said. Cain punched him in the stomach. "Where are they!?" he demanded. King Ronald paused, before looking up at them. "Under the castle…in the alchemists prison…" he said, with a sulking expression. Paxton turned to look at his father as Cain released him.

"Father! The secret should of died with us, they'll kill us anyway…" Paxton hissed. Rodney shook her head. "No, we aren't…" she said. Paxton looked at her. "Then what are you going to do?" he asked. "We were thinking exile….have you meet my friend…Azakadellia?" she asked.

At that moment, the door opened and Azkadellia entered. Azkadellia smiled at her. Rodney patted her shoulder. "They are all yours…" she said, before walking out. She was followed closely by Cain and Glitch. They walked outside to see Julia leaning against a pillar. She looked over at them.

"Hey…" Cain said, walking towards her. Julia smiled slightly at him. "Hi," she said. Cain hugged her, pulling her close to him. "It's all over now…" he said, stroking her hair. Rodney chuckled. "Thankfully…" she agreed.

Cain pulled away from Julia, his hands still around her waist. "You going to be okay?" he asked her. She smiled slightly. "Yea…I'm just gonna go get changed into a travel dress or something. I don't exactly feel comfortable walking around in a black bathrobe and underwear…" she said.

Cain's eyes overlooked her for a minute. "Oh, right. Well…you look nice…" he said. Julia looked up at her with an amused smile. Cain blushed slightly and looked away. Julia took Cain's face in her hands. "Wyatt Cain, you are truly adorable. I'll see you later…" she said, before kissing his forehead. Julia slid out of Cain's arms and walked away. Cain stared after her.

"Maybe I should-"

"No!" Rodney cut it. "Yea Cain….no!" Glitch said. He turned to Rodney. "Um, what are we saying 'no' to Cain for?" Glitch asked.

Rodney narrowed her eyes at Cain. "Let's just say it involves Julia getting dressed," Rodney stated. Cain rolled his eyes at her. "Hey, let's go play with Aiden!" Glitch suggested. "He's with DG and Jeb, remember? We didn't want him to be around when all this was going down…" Rodney said. Glitch sighed in disappointment. "Well…I guess that's okay…." Glitch said. Rodney hugged him. "God, I love you…" she said. Glitch kissed her forehead, before returning the hug.

They heard the door shut and Azkadellia walked out. "They are out cold. The chief of police was talking to Ahamo and Lavender Eyes about the situation. Cain, he wanted to see you. I think he was in the ballroom…" Azkadellia said. Cain nodded, before walking down the hallway.

Azkadellia turned to look at Rodney. "Where were you planning on sending them?" she asked. Rodney smiled. "We were thinking…the other side…" she said, with a smile. Azkadellia raised an eyebrow. "New identities I presume?" she asked. "They'll be getting new identities, yes. But they will be broke over there. From what DG tells me…they will never survive…" Rodney said. Azkadellia nodded, before walking away.

Glitch looked at Rodney. "Let's go for a horseback ride," he suggested. Rodney shrugged. "Okay," she said….


	43. Chapter 43

Julia stood on the balcony, overlooking the lands. It was a long day, and she was exhausted. Especially after her long night with Cain. The comfort of Cain's arms, and his body heat against hers during the thunderstorm was a moment to treasure. She had also witnessed Paxton and his father being sent to the other side. It was somewhat humorous.

She heard footsteps and she smiled. "Hello Cain," she said. She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist, and she felt him inhale the scent of her hair. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked. "You smell like strawberries," she said. Cain laughed slightly. "Strawberries?" he asked. "Yea," she replied.

He sighed, before speaking again. "They are gone for good,"

She smiled. "Thank God for that…"

"The boss wants to give me a promotion for booking them," Cain stated. She turned to face him. "Really? Cain, that's great…" she said, with a smile. Cain shrugged. "It is but…I'm not taking it…" he replied.

"Why? Cain, you deserve it for what you did…" Julia said, surprised. Cain sighed. "Because if I take this promotion, I'll go away pretty far. I probably won't see you again, and after last night…I can't leave you…" Cain said, shaking his head.

"Cain don't let me be the reason…you deserve it. I don't deserve you. I should have been able to protect you from Paxton I was so…mean to you. You deserve someone better than me," Julia stated, placing her hands on his chest.

"Those things weren't your fault. You had to protect everyone, you and your sister kept Paxton from killing all of us. You were holding in how you really felt, risking your lives for the rest of us. Just like a Queen puts herself in danger for her people. That proves that you and your sister will be great Queen's…" Cain said, with a smile.

Julia smiled slightly, stepping even closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know all the girls will be going for you now. You've arrested the number one bachelor prince around here. They'll be chasing after you, trying to be with you. You're going to have a lot of fangirls now….the new hero…" she said, laughing slightly.

Cain smiled in thought, before looking back at her. "Hmm, but I want you…" he said. Julia raised an eyebrow at him playfully, as he leaned in to kiss her. She placed a finger on his lips. "Start counting, tin man…" she said, sliding out of his arms. Cain turned to face her. "What?" he asked, confused.

"If you want me, you have to come find me…count to a hundred…." She said, before running off into the castle.

Cain sighed, and placed his hands on the balcony wall. "One…two…three…four…five…" Cain paused, and smiled. He turned around and sprinted into the castle. He saw Julia talking to Rodney and Glitch. Julia's eyes widened at the sight of him, as he took a few long strides before wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Your mine," he said, with a satisfied smile. She smiled up at him. "I'm yours…" she said, before kissing him


	44. Chapter 44

3 Years Later

She stood at the balcony, looking at the horizon waiting. She felt a tug on her dress and she looked down. "Aiden," she said, smiling. "Serena and Damian are trying to tie me to the chair again…" he said. Julia rolled her eyes. "Just like their father…you know what they say about twins these days…" she said, smiling slightly. She looked down at the one year old baby boy that stood at her side.

She stroked his hair, and smiled at him. He missed his father. All of them did. She and Cain had gotten married a few months after the tragedy of Paxton. They had the two three year old twins, Serena and Damian and the one year old boy, Sean. Cain had to go off to war a few months after he was born, and he had been away for a year with Glitch and a bunch of other men.

Rodney and Glitch had a three year old boy, Alex and a two year old girl, Cassandra. They had gotten married about seven months after the incident with Paxton. Rodney joined her sister on the balcony, her girl in her arm, sitting on her hip. Her boy was holding her hand. "See anything?" Rodney asked.

Julia turned to face the horizon. She squinted as she saw shadows approaching. That's when she saw them.

Rodney saw Glitch riding his black horse, on Cain's right. He was smiling joyfully. That's when Julia saw him. She saw Cain riding his white horse, in the center of the group. She smiled as she watched him approach. Even from miles away, she could tell he was smiling too.

She turned to face her sister. "Come on…let's go welcome them home…" she said.

THE END!

**Sequel in the works =]**


End file.
